Apple Inc. $AAPL Position Lifted by Worth Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Worth Asset Management increased its Apple stake by 12.9% in the third quarter, holding 22,265 shares valued at approximately $7.4 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple insiders sold shares primarily to cover tax obligations tied to vested equity awards, including sales by executives Deirdre O’Brien and Tim Cook totaling roughly $79.3 million.
• Apple’s shares traded near record highs with a $5.01 trillion market capitalization, while analysts maintained a broadly positive outlook with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $340.39. Investors are weighing strong ecosystem and AI expansion opportunities against valuation, demand and competitive risks.

Worth Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 12.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,265 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 2,550 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 2.2% of Worth Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Worth Asset Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $7,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Apple by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $182,897,769,000 after buying an additional 28,321,085 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in Apple by 23.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $18,547,637,000 after acquiring an additional 13,780,080 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction of $15,467,020.38. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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, insider Timothy Cook sold 191,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total value of $63,846,078.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,086,837,377.28. This represents a 5.55% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 279,383 shares of company stock worth $92,912,517. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s $299 HomeView smart-home hub, along with new cameras, a doorbell, smart lock, thermostat and updated Apple TV and HomePod products, gives the company new hardware and ecosystem expansion opportunities. Analysts also see potential for recurring iCloud+ and other Services revenue. Apple releases HomeView smart home hub with screen as showcase for Siri AI
• Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly plans to launch Apple Intelligence in mainland China in December, potentially improving access to AI features in a strategically important market. Apple to Release AI Platform in Mainland China
• Positive Sentiment: Apple benefited from news that GlobalFoundries will build two New York fabs with up to $21 billion in U.S.-Japan funding. Apple is expected to source chips from the expanded domestic capacity, supporting supply-chain diversification. GlobalFoundries Secures $21B for New York Fabs
• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism was reinforced by Apple’s market value reclaiming the $5 trillion milestone, while analyst Dan Ives suggested a stronger AI strategy could support a $400 price target. Apple reaches new highs ahead of iPhone Duo preorders
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s iPhone Duo preorders begin October 16. Strong demand could provide a near-term catalyst, but reports of shorter iPhone 18 Pro delivery windows and reduced supplier production have raised questions about demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts estimate that a paid, more capable Siri could eventually generate substantial Services revenue, but Apple has not announced pricing or a launch date for expanded AI access.
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI alleges that a former employee who joined Apple transferred more than 100 confidential files concerning an unreleased device. The case could create legal, reputational and product-development risks, although there is no indication Apple used the information. OpenAI alleges former employee took device files to Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Gene Munster warned Apple could lose the AI platform battle if users become loyal to rival assistants such as Meta’s Muse or Grok. Critics also questioned whether HomeView meaningfully addresses Apple’s AI shortcomings.
• Negative Sentiment: With Apple trading near record levels at a rich valuation, investors are concerned that slower growth, margin pressure and uncertain iPhone demand may limit further upside.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL opened at $342.96 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $324.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $305.24. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $243.42 and a one year high of $348.15.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. CICC Research upped their target price on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. HSBC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $366.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.39.

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets 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 software platforms, including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and visionOS.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ and iCloud.

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