Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by IFP Advisors Inc

Key Points

• IFP Advisors reduced its Apple stake by 3.7% in the third quarter, selling 17,714 shares and retaining 467,244 shares valued at approximately $155.5 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple has several potential growth catalysts, including its acquisition of AI firm Ascend.io, strong demand for iPhone and other products, and the launch of its first touchscreen MacBook Pro.
• Valuation and margin risks remain: Apple trades near its yearly high at roughly 40 times earnings, while higher memory costs and potentially slower iPhone growth could pressure profits. Analysts nevertheless maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average target price of $340.49.

IFP Advisors Inc lessened its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 467,244 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 17,714 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 2.6% of IFP Advisors Inc's holdings, making the stock its biggest position. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Apple were worth $155,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. Prospect Hill Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth approximately $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at about $16,064,000. Finally, Gouws Capital LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 21,676 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Key Apple News

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. HSBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Citic Securities upped their target price on Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $245.00 target price (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $333.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $296.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.03 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.52, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $243.42 and a one year high of $351.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total value of $8,460,671.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,832,236.98. This represents a 29.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.05, for a total value of $480,309.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,539 shares in the company, valued at $6,051,831.95. The trade was a 7.35% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 289,252 shares of company stock worth $96,301,063 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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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