31,777 Shares in Apple Inc. $AAPL Purchased by Advisors Preferred LLC

Key Points

• Advisors Preferred LLC bought 31,777 Apple shares worth approximately $9.8 million in the second quarter, making Apple its 22nd-largest holding and representing about 1.5% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, while insiders own just 0.06%; Apple SVP Jennifer Newstead recently sold 1,438 shares to cover tax obligations.
• Apple reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with $2.02 in earnings per share and $109.42 billion in revenue. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $340.14.

Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 31,777 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $9,807,000. Apple accounts for approximately 1.5% of Advisors Preferred LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 822.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 260,792 shares during the period. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $88,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.19, for a total transaction of $474,813.22. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 32,914 shares in the company, valued at $10,867,873.66. This trade represents a 4.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,632 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,955. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $338.98 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $320.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $295.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08. 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 fifty-two week low of $243.42 and a fifty-two week high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Loop Capital set a $380.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday. KGI Securities downgraded shares of Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.14.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 Pro demand: JPMorgan said average delivery times increased to 23 days in the second preorder week from seven days in the first, suggesting demand may be stronger than expected. Analyst Gene Munster said current iPhone 18 estimates could be too conservative, while Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380. JPMorgan sees stronger iPhone 18 Pro demand
• Positive Sentiment: Foldable iPhone creates a potential premium-growth opportunity: Apple’s new iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999 and scheduled for an October 23 release, represents the company’s largest iPhone design change in years. Investors view the product as a possible catalyst for higher average selling prices and a new upgrade cycle under CEO John Ternus. Apple’s new CEO bets big on a foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: AI and capital returns support the bullish case: Coverage highlighted the successful rollout of upgraded Siri AI, Apple’s reported interest in building AI inference servers, and its shrinking share count from buybacks. Apple’s large cash position, history of earnings beats and long-term shareholder returns are also reinforcing investor confidence. Apple’s shrinking share count
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader strategic opportunities: Apple and Google are hiring digital-asset specialists, potentially signaling future initiatives involving payments, stablecoins or tokenization. The company could also benefit if U.S.-China trade discussions reduce tariff pressure on technology companies. Google and Apple digital-asset hiring
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are rising: Commentators described AAPL as relatively expensive near its highs, while the $1,999 Duo could limit adoption and expose Apple to foldable-screen execution risks. Google’s AI-powered laptops and Meta’s Muse app also highlight intensifying competition in AI and consumer technology.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Apple has begun a 90-day claims period tied to a $250 million settlement over allegations that it falsely advertised Apple Intelligence and Siri capabilities. The financial cost is manageable for Apple, but the dispute could weigh on trust in its AI strategy. $250 million Apple AI settlement claims period

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company's ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.

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