Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Cut by Denali Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Denali Advisors cut its Apple stake by 14.5% in the second quarter, selling 17,218 shares and retaining 101,322 shares worth approximately $29.3 million. Apple remains the fund’s third-largest holding and represents about 3% of its portfolio.
• Wall Street maintains a generally positive view, with Apple carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.02, although analyst opinions range from “Strong Buy” to “Sell.”
• Apple’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with revenue rising 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion and EPS reaching $2.02. Shares opened at $330.32, while the company also faces risks from rising component costs, patent litigation and potential AI disruption to its services ecosystem.

Denali Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 14.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 101,322 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 17,218 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 3.0% of Denali Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Denali Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $29,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,351,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Evansbrook LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the 1st 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 during the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.7% in 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 during the period. Advocate Investing Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the second quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC now owns 7,847 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 5th. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Evercore set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Apple from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.02.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new fall product cycle is supporting revenue expectations. Morgan Stanley modestly raised its revenue forecast following the product launches, while Counterpoint expects approximately 6 million units of Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo foldable to be sold this year. Strong early iPhone 18 Pro demand in China—up 12% year over year during launch week—also supports near-term sales momentum. Apple’s Fall Product Cycle Could Support Revenue Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is expanding its ecosystem beyond the iPhone. Health-focused Apple Watch features, including a health-age metric and Readiness score, could help defend its wearables lead, while a planned October 13 smart-home event may introduce a new hub centered on Siri and Apple Intelligence. Apple Is Betting Improved Heart and Health Insights Will Boost Watch Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its Apple price target to $355 from $360 but retained an Overweight rating. Analysts cited higher memory and component costs and potential iPhone pricing pressure, which largely offset the benefit from stronger product revenue. Morgan Stanley Adjusts Price Target on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: A jury ordered Apple to pay $5.7 billion over Taptic Engine patent claims, raising concerns about additional royalties and pressure on hardware margins. The company also faces a UK marketplace class action. Apple’s $5.7 Billion Patent Verdict Raises a Bigger Royalty Question
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI agents such as Meta’s Muse could bypass Apple’s App Store and weaken its high-margin services ecosystem. Analysts said Apple’s product roadmap is attractive but lacks a clear catalyst after its recent rally. Apple Stock’s Upside May Be Limited as AI Agents Could Disrupt Business
• Negative Sentiment: Apple SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth approximately $806,496, reducing her holdings by 5.4%. The sale is relatively small compared with her remaining stake but adds modest insider-selling pressure. Apple Insider Transaction Filing

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,430 shares of company stock valued at $4,342,255. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Apple Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $330.32 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $345.34. The company has a market capitalization of $4.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $322.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $299.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors 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 yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.39%.

Apple Profile

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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