12,023 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC

Key Points

• ARS Wealth Advisors Group increased its Apple stake by 6.7% in the third quarter, acquiring 12,023 shares for a total holding of 191,071 shares valued at approximately $63.6 million. Apple now represents about 4.2% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Other institutional investors also added shares, and institutions and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $340.49.
• Apple recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, but investors face potential pressure from rising component costs, elevated valuation near its 52-week high, and questions about future iPhone growth.

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 191,071 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 12,023 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 4.2% of ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $63,630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. James T. Borello RIA increased its position in Apple by 2.2% during the third quarter. James T. Borello RIA now owns 8,004 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,665,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 235,785 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $77,983,000 after buying an additional 2,417 shares during the last quarter. Intelligent Financial Strategies boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Intelligent Financial Strategies now owns 11,827 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,939,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Selective Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 32,090 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $10,975,000 after acquiring an additional 3,258 shares during the period. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 49,134 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $16,354,000 after acquiring an additional 2,458 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Seaport Research Partners cut Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Maxim Group lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.49.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $344.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $351.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $333.04 and a 200-day moving average of $296.38.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Apple's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple acquired Ascension Labs, which operates as Ascend.io, gaining access to agentic artificial-intelligence talent and intellectual property. The deal supports Apple’s effort to strengthen its AI capabilities, although financial terms were not disclosed. Apple Acquires AI Firm Ascend.io Talent and Patents
• Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators remain supportive: the foldable iPhone Duo reportedly sold out quickly, orders are backed up, and Apple is positioned to benefit from strong iPhone, Mac and Services demand. Analysts including Bank of America and Goldman Sachs remain constructive, with BofA reiterating a Buy rating and a $370 price target. Analyst Reiterates Buy on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: The first touchscreen MacBook Pro, equipped with OLED displays and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, expands Apple’s premium hardware lineup and could support a new product-cycle catalyst. Apple Shows First Touchscreen Laptops
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s earnings report is the immediate focus. Investors will look for evidence that revenue growth, Services momentum and AI investments can offset rising component costs and potentially slower holiday growth. Options activity suggests substantial volatility around the release. Apple November 2 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: AI-related demand has sharply increased flash-memory prices, raising concerns that Apple’s gross margin will come under pressure. Qualcomm also indicated that Apple-related revenue is declining faster than previously expected, reinforcing concerns about the pace of future iPhone growth. AI Has Made Flash Memory More Expensive
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 40 times earnings and near its yearly high, Apple has limited room for an earnings or guidance disappointment. A senior vice president’s repeated stock sales and a South Korean fine related to app-market practices add modest additional caution. Apple Insider Selling

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total transaction of $8,460,671.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at $19,832,236.98. This represents a 29.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total transaction of $442,112.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,224,675.20. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 289,252 shares of company stock worth $96,301,063 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Profile

Apple Inc designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware ecosystem.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple Pay and other subscription, payment and digital-content offerings.

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