5,654 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Ellsworth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Ellsworth Advisors cut its Apple stake by 12.1% in the third quarter, selling 5,654 shares and retaining 40,981 shares valued at approximately $13.59 million. Apple represents about 2.2% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Apple reported quarterly revenue of $109.42 billion and earnings of $2.02 per share, exceeding analyst expectations; institutional investors own 67.73% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and average price target of $340.59, although Apple faces risks from its premium product pricing, regulatory scrutiny and reported foldable iPhone screen issues.

Ellsworth Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 12.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,981 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 5,654 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 2.2% of Ellsworth Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Ellsworth Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $13,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Apple in the second quarter worth $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Apple in the second quarter worth $30,443,242,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at $13,658,359,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at $10,588,946,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple unveiled its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, featuring tandem OLED technology, up to 2,000-nit brightness, 120Hz refresh rates, and higher-end M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The launch could support Mac revenue, premium pricing and a broader hardware upgrade cycle. Apple Stock: Slip Despite MacBook Pro Launch With Tandem OLED Display
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains a modest tailwind. Monness, Crespi, Hardt raised its Apple price target to $355, while early iPhone 18 Pro sales were reportedly 3.1% above the prior model, including particularly strong growth in China. Wall Street Analyst Updates Apple Stock Target Ahead of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is approaching its November 2 earnings report after a lengthy run of earnings beats. Investors are looking for evidence that iPhone demand, services growth and artificial-intelligence initiatives can justify a valuation near 40 times earnings. Seeking Clues to Apple Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: The touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at approximately $2,899, raising concerns that premium pricing could limit adoption. Investors also face broader pressure from rising memory costs, expensive technology valuations and potentially higher interest rates. Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro Pushes Laptop Pricing Higher
• Negative Sentiment: Apple is offering replacements after reports that screens on its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo cracked near the hinge. The issue threatens customer confidence and could increase warranty or recall costs just as the company launches a major new product category. Apple Shows First Touchscreen Laptops Amid Product Blitz
• Negative Sentiment: South Korea fined Apple and Google a combined $47.6 million for allegedly forcing developers toward their payment systems and delaying app reviews, adding to regulatory risks around Apple’s services business. South Korea Fines Google and Apple Over App Market Practices

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $343.83 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $5.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $331.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $295.51. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.42 and a twelve month high of $351.73.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Yorkville Ives started coverage on Apple in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. China Renaissance lowered Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $339.62, for a total value of $814,748.38. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 34,795 shares in the company, valued at $11,817,077.90. This trade represents a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total value of $442,112.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,288 shares in the company, valued at $13,224,675.20. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

About Apple

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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