1,734 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Aspiriant LLC

Key Points

• Aspiriant LLC reduced its Apple position by 1,734 shares, or 0.6%, leaving it with 276,376 shares valued at approximately $92 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple shares opened at $348.91, near their 52-week high, giving the company a market capitalization of about $5.09 trillion and a P/E ratio of 40.01. The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up 16.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $340.59 price target, although some firms have downgraded the stock. Investors also face valuation and margin concerns, while Apple insiders sold roughly $96.3 million of stock during the latest quarter.

Aspiriant LLC trimmed its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 276,376 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,734 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 2.3% of Aspiriant LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Aspiriant LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $92,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Apple in the second quarter worth $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth $30,443,242,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth $13,658,359,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at about $10,588,946,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain optimistic ahead of earnings, citing strong demand for Apple’s new iPhone Duo, continued Services growth and potential AI-related momentum. Options activity also points to expectations for a post-earnings rally. Apple's Q4 Earnings Loom
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its Buy rating, while Monness raised its price target to $355. Apple is also attracting attention as it approaches Nvidia in market capitalization, with revenue growth described as its fastest in about five years. Apple Stock Heads Toward All-Time High
• Positive Sentiment: Apple launched its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, featuring OLED displays and M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The move expands the Mac product cycle and could support higher average selling prices, despite the premium starting price. Apple Shows First Touchscreen Laptops
• Neutral Sentiment: Forty-seven exchange-traded funds added to their Apple holdings, indicating continued institutional demand, although the purchases do not necessarily signal near-term changes in fundamentals. 47 ETFs Add to Apple Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Investors face margin and valuation concerns. AI-driven flash-memory demand has sharply increased component costs, while Apple’s roughly 40-times earnings multiple leaves limited room for disappointing guidance. AI Has Made Flash Memory More Expensive
• Negative Sentiment: South Korea fined Apple and Google a combined $47.6 million over alleged unfair app-payment practices. Early reports of cracked iPhone Duo screens and an executive stock sale add smaller sources of investor caution. South Korea Fines Google and Apple

Apple Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $348.91 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $351.73. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $332.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $295.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.09 trillion, a P/E ratio of 40.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Maxim Group boosted their price target on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. DZ Bank downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $370.00 to $330.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.59.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total value of $8,460,671.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 289,252 shares of company stock worth $96,301,063. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Apple Company 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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