8,957 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Robertson Stephens Wealth Management reduced its Apple position by 1.8%, selling 8,957 shares and retaining 481,365 shares worth approximately $160.2 million. Apple remains the firm’s fifth-largest holding and represents about 3.9% of its portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains significant at 67.73%, with several firms initiating or increasing positions during the second and third quarters, including Gouws Capital, which boosted its holdings by 136.9%.
• Apple has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and a $340.49 average price target, but investors face risks from elevated valuation, rising memory costs that could pressure margins, and potential slower iPhone growth. Upcoming earnings are expected to provide insight into Services momentum, AI investments and holiday demand.

Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC cut its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 481,365 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 8,957 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 3.9% of Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $160,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Prospect Hill Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $16,064,000. Finally, Gouws Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 136.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gouws Capital LLC now owns 37,504 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $12,490,000 after purchasing an additional 21,676 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple acquired Ascension Labs, which operates as Ascend.io, gaining access to agentic artificial-intelligence talent and intellectual property. The deal supports Apple’s effort to strengthen its AI capabilities, although financial terms were not disclosed. Apple Acquires AI Firm Ascend.io Talent and Patents
• Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators remain supportive: the foldable iPhone Duo reportedly sold out quickly, orders are backed up, and Apple is positioned to benefit from strong iPhone, Mac and Services demand. Analysts including Bank of America and Goldman Sachs remain constructive, with BofA reiterating a Buy rating and a $370 price target. Analyst Reiterates Buy on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: The first touchscreen MacBook Pro, equipped with OLED displays and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, expands Apple’s premium hardware lineup and could support a new product-cycle catalyst. Apple Shows First Touchscreen Laptops
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s earnings report is the immediate focus. Investors will look for evidence that revenue growth, Services momentum and AI investments can offset rising component costs and potentially slower holiday growth. Options activity suggests substantial volatility around the release. Apple November 2 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: AI-related demand has sharply increased flash-memory prices, raising concerns that Apple’s gross margin will come under pressure. Qualcomm also indicated that Apple-related revenue is declining faster than previously expected, reinforcing concerns about the pace of future iPhone growth. AI Has Made Flash Memory More Expensive
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 40 times earnings and near its yearly high, Apple has limited room for an earnings or guidance disappointment. A senior vice president’s repeated stock sales and a South Korean fine related to app-market practices add modest additional caution. Apple Insider Selling

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.49.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $344.63 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.03 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.52, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.07. The company's fifty day moving average is $333.04 and its 200 day moving average is $296.38. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $351.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. 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 prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

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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