8,252 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Whitener Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Whitener Capital Management reduced its Apple stake by 9.2%, selling 8,252 shares and retaining 81,905 shares valued at approximately $27.3 million. Apple remains about 5% of the firm’s portfolio and its fourth-largest holding.
• Apple reported quarterly revenue of $109.42 billion and earnings of $2.02 per share, exceeding analyst estimates, with revenue up 16.4% year over year. The stock opened at $343.83, implying a market capitalization of roughly $5.02 trillion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.43.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $340.59 target price, though recent insider selling, premium valuation, regulatory pressure and concerns over expensive new products present risks.

Whitener Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 9.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,905 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 8,252 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 5.0% of Whitener Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Whitener Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $27,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Prospect Hill Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth $16,064,000. Finally, Gouws Capital LLC increased its stake in Apple by 136.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gouws Capital LLC now owns 37,504 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $12,490,000 after buying an additional 21,676 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $343.83 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.43, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day moving average of $331.73 and a 200 day moving average of $295.51. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.42 and a fifty-two week high of $351.73. 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 (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced 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 analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business's 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. The trade was a 5.40% 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. Also, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was 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 $19,832,236.98. This represents a 29.90% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Apple News

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price target on Apple and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Monness Crespi & Hardt reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $355.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.59.

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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