12,631 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL Purchased by NI Acquisitions Company LLC

Key Points

• NI Acquisitions Company LLC bought 12,631 Apple shares worth approximately $3.65 million in the second quarter, making Apple its 17th-largest holding. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple insiders sold 276,984 shares worth about $92.1 million over the past 90 days, including Tim Cook’s $63.8 million sale, which was made to cover tax obligations tied to vested equity awards.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, while shares traded near their 52-week high. Analysts maintained an overall “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $340.02.

NI Acquisitions Company LLC purchased a new position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 12,631 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $3,655,000. Apple makes up about 1.4% of NI Acquisitions Company LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AlphaGrep UK Ltd purchased a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,680,000. Gainline Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth $979,000. Shah Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth $5,719,000. William John Sempolinski bought a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth $22,151,000. Finally, Arbor Wealth Management LLC AZ purchased a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at $231,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Timothy Cook sold 191,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. This represents a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 276,984 shares of company stock valued at $92,116,025. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL stock opened at $336.67 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $345.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.91 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $321.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $302.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple's payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly partnering with LG Electronics to develop a smart-home lineup including a doorbell, smart lock, thermostat and other accessories tied to a new Apple home hub. The initiative could expand the HomeKit ecosystem, create new hardware and services revenue, and intensify competition with Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest. Apple partners with LG on smart-home devices
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s App Store revenue growth reportedly rebounded to 5% in September after a weaker August. Continued Services momentum supports the company’s recurring-revenue profile, though investors are watching whether the improvement proves durable. Apple App Store growth rebounds
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares worth about $8.5 million to cover tax withholding tied to equity vesting. Because the transaction was tax-related rather than described as discretionary selling, it is unlikely to materially change the investment case, though it may create short-term headline pressure. Apple CEO stock sale
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its Apple price target to $355 despite raising revenue forecasts, citing softer iPhone pricing and higher memory-chip costs that could compress gross margins. The target is only modestly above recent trading levels, limiting perceived upside. Morgan Stanley cuts Apple price target
• Negative Sentiment: Several valuation comparisons highlight that investors pay substantially more for each dollar of Apple’s earnings than for Nvidia’s, despite Nvidia’s stronger recent profitability. With AAPL trading at an elevated earnings multiple, the stock may require sustained iPhone, Services and AI growth to justify its premium. Nvidia versus Apple valuation comparison

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AAPL. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, October 1st. KGI Securities downgraded Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.02.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets 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 software platforms, including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and visionOS.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ and iCloud.

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