3,555 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Three Magnolias Financial Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Three Magnolias Financial Advisors reduced its Apple stake by 19.5% in the third quarter, selling 3,555 shares and retaining 14,691 shares valued at approximately $4.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Apple, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.12, despite some Hold, Sell and Underperform ratings.
• Apple reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including $2.02 in EPS and $109.42 billion in revenue, while its shares traded near their 52-week high. Insiders also sold shares primarily to cover tax obligations tied to equity awards.

Three Magnolias Financial Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,691 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 3,555 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 2.9% of Three Magnolias Financial Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Three Magnolias Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $4,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. N10 Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 534.1% during the third quarter. N10 Wealth LLC now owns 17,590 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $5,858,000 after purchasing an additional 14,816 shares during the period. Seelaus Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 9.6% in the third quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 37,675 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $12,407,000 after buying an additional 3,310 shares during the period. ABLE Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 4.9% in the third quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC now owns 48,794 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $16,249,000 after buying an additional 2,285 shares during the period. Aspen Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 9.3% during the third quarter. Aspen Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,239 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $5,075,000 after buying an additional 1,294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Shore Point Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 36.0% during the third quarter. Shore Point Advisors LLC now owns 5,588 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,810,000 after buying an additional 1,479 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BTIG Research began coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.12.

Apple Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $347.73 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $243.42 and a one year high of $351.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $5.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. The stock's 50-day moving average is $329.75 and its 200-day moving average is $309.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, insider Timothy D. Cook sold 191,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total value of $63,846,078.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction of $15,467,020.38. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the primary catalyst. The foldable phone launched globally Friday amid long lines, limited store inventory and reports that preorders are backordered into 2027. Supply-chain reports indicate Apple raised its first-year shipment target by 44%, to roughly 14 million units. The premium product could expand Apple’s addressable market and support revenue growth. Apple fans react as iPhone Duo hits stores
• Positive Sentiment: The launch strengthens Apple’s broader hardware and services roadmap. Analysts are evaluating whether the Duo can drive accessory, software and services revenue, while potential touchscreen Macs, smart-home products and an Apple-Schneider Electric energy-management partnership provide additional growth opportunities. Will Apple take over the smart home
• Positive Sentiment: Apple briefly reclaimed the title of world’s most valuable public company. AAPL approached or surpassed Nvidia’s approximately $5 trillion valuation as Nvidia shares weakened during a broader AI-stock selloff. Investors are treating Apple’s substantial cash generation and lower AI infrastructure spending as a relative safe haven. Apple tops Nvidia in market value
• Neutral Sentiment: The next major test is earnings. Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter results are expected November 2, with investors looking for evidence that iPhone Duo demand, holiday sales and margins justify a stock trading near 40 times earnings. Analysts remain broadly constructive, but the average price target is close to recent trading levels.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risks remain significant. Some early users have reported cracked foldable screens, while reviews cite first-generation glitches, a $2,000 price and limitations involving the camera and apps. These issues could affect returns, customer satisfaction and adoption.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a modest cautionary signal. Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold approximately $815,000 of AAPL shares, following several similar sales. The transaction is small relative to Apple’s size but may reinforce concerns that the stock has become expensive.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.