Apple Inc. $AAPL Position Boosted by B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• B. Riley Wealth Advisors increased its Apple position by 56.2% in the third quarter, acquiring 128,075 additional shares. Apple became the firm’s second-largest holding, valued at approximately $117.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 67.73% of Apple’s shares. Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.12.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, while its stock traded near its 12-month high with a market capitalization of roughly $5.07 trillion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, though recent insider sales totaled about $95.5 million, largely to cover tax obligations.

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 56.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 355,802 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 128,075 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 4.4% of B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $117,371,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ulrich Consultants & Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter valued at about $1,218,000. Trinity Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Trinity Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,369 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,786,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Fluent Financial LLC grew its stake in Apple by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fluent Financial LLC now owns 2,665 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department grew its stake in Apple by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 136,380 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $45,005,000 after buying an additional 5,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lineweaver Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Apple by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Lineweaver Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94,133 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $31,209,000 after buying an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. KeyCorp reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Evercore set a $380.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $347.73 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $351.73. The stock has a market cap of $5.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $329.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. Apple's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total value of $442,112.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,224,675.20. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The transaction 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, 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 transaction of $8,460,671.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342 over the last quarter. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Apple News

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.

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