Apple Inc. $AAPL Position Lessened by Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.

Key Points

• Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak reduced its Apple position by 63.7% in the third quarter, selling 18,600 shares. Apple remains the firm’s largest holding, representing 5.8% of its portfolio and worth approximately $3.48 million.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with Apple carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $340.12. Ratings range from Barclays’ “underweight” view to $400 price targets from Rothschild & Co Redburn and TD Cowen.
• Apple’s shares trade near record highs at roughly 40 times earnings, while upcoming earnings will test demand and valuation. Insiders sold shares during the quarter, primarily to cover tax obligations tied to equity awards.

Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. reduced its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 63.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,619 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 18,600 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 5.8% of Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $3,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Apple by 0.3% in the second quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,351,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Thor Investment Management Inc. OH ADV lifted its stake in Apple by 1.6% during the third quarter. Thor Investment Management Inc. OH ADV now owns 1,912 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $637,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Evansbrook LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 0.4% during the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Apple by 0.7% during the first quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Forward LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the third quarter. Wealth Forward LLC now owns 13,327 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $4,438,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $245.00 target price (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. DZ Bank cut shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note 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 assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This trade represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.05, for a total transaction of $480,309.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,539 shares in the company, valued at $6,051,831.95. This trade represents a 7.35% 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 worth $95,477,342 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple News Summary

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 Stock Performance

Shares of 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 company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $5.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.88, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $329.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $309.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Apple's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

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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