Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Purchased by Lighthouse Financial LLC

Key Points

• Lighthouse Financial increased its Apple stake by 55.3% in the third quarter, adding 8,070 shares to hold 22,666 shares valued at about $7.55 million.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.10, beating the $1.99 consensus, while revenue of $114.48 billion also topped estimates and grew 11.7% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment was broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $347.11; the article also notes concerns from some investors that the stock’s valuation is elevated.

Lighthouse Financial LLC increased its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 55.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,666 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 8,070 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 3.4% of Lighthouse Financial LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Lighthouse Financial LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $7,548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.7% during 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in shares of Apple by 23.2% in the 1st 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 currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $347.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total transaction of $442,112.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,288 shares in the company, valued at $13,224,675.20. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 approximately $19,832,236.98. The trade was a 29.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 292,611 shares of company stock worth $97,482,597 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $354.88 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.42 and a 1-year high of $359.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $338.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $300.56. The company has a market capitalization of $5.16 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.56, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $114.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.40 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 125.35% and a net margin of 27.60%. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 9.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 12th will be 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 is Thursday, November 12th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.04%.

Key Apple News

Here's some of the latest news about AAPL:

• Positive Sentiment: China Renaissance upgraded Apple to Buy from Hold and set a $425 price target, citing potential from the first foldable iPhone. Coverage also points to strong interest in the new iPhone lineup as a possible catalyst for continued growth. Apple stock gains as analyst sets a $425 target
• Neutral Sentiment: Google is bringing its Gemini assistant to Apple CarPlay, adding a new AI feature for iPhone users. The partnership may improve CarPlay’s utility, though the assistant is Google’s service rather than Apple’s. Google Brings Gemini Live to Apple CarPlay
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts and investors view AAPL as expensive after its strong run, while recent coverage shows disagreement on the outlook, including a DZ Bank downgrade to Sell. Rich valuation leaves less room for disappointment. Apple Shares Look Expensive Heading into 2027

About Apple

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods, along with operating systems and applications such as iOS, macOS and iPadOS. The company also offers services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud and Apple Pay. These products and services are integrated across Apple's devices and are sold to consumers, businesses and institutions around the world. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple serves customers globally through online and retail stores, wireless carriers and other resellers.

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