Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Decreased by Manchester Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Manchester Financial reduced its Apple stake by 3.1% in the second quarter, selling 1,718 shares and retaining 53,337 shares valued at approximately $15.4 million. Apple remains the firm’s eighth-largest holding and represents about 2.7% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02, beating estimates of $1.89, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with Apple carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $340.14, although some analysts maintain underweight or hold ratings; institutional investors own 67.73% of the stock.

Manchester Financial Inc. lowered its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,337 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,718 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 2.7% of Manchester Financial Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Manchester Financial Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $15,433,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings 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. Evansbrook LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,054,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $1,295,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC now owns 7,847 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,271,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Up 1.1%

AAPL stock opened at $333.02 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.42 and a 1-year high of $345.34. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $321.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $299.21. 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 $4.86 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.08.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.06, for a total value of $815,803.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,391 shares in the company, valued at $15,095,603.46. The trade was a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,031 shares of company stock worth $3,535,759. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. KeyCorp restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, September 4th. 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. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Loop Capital set a $380.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Friday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.14.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Counterpoint Research estimates Apple could sell approximately 6 million iPhone Duo foldable handsets in 2026, despite the device’s premium starting price of $1,999. Pre-orders reportedly begin October 16, with deliveries scheduled for October 23. Apple Predicted To Sell 6 Million iPhone Duo Handsets This Year
• Positive Sentiment: Early iPhone 18 Pro demand in China is encouraging: first-week sales rose 12% year over year, and Apple captured 33% of smartphone sales during the measured period. Analysts also see consumers showing greater willingness to pay for higher-priced models. Apple iPhone 18 Pro China Launch-Week Sales Rise 12%
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple will unveil a new smart-home hub at an October 13 event added to expectations for expansion beyond the iPhone. The company is also reportedly renewing its Qualcomm licensing agreement, supporting continuity for its device and connectivity roadmap. Apple Plans Smart-Home Push
• Positive Sentiment: Broader technology stocks benefited from cooler inflation data, which reduced near-term concerns about additional Federal Reserve rate hikes. Apple also received a favorable endorsement from Jim Cramer ahead of the Duo launch.
• Neutral Sentiment: New CEO John Ternus is reportedly considering an engineering-focused restructuring, faster product releases and fewer management layers. The changes could improve innovation and execution, but they introduce transition risk and may include layoffs as memory costs rise. Apple’s New CEO Plans Overhaul
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America warned that Meta’s Muse and other AI agents could divert product discovery, shopping activity and services revenue away from Apple’s ecosystem, increasing pressure on Siri, Apple Pay and the App Store.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple patched a zero-day vulnerability reportedly used in targeted attacks involving iPhone crypto wallets. In addition, a UK class-action case over marketplace restrictions was allowed to proceed, creating ongoing legal and reputational risks.

Apple Company 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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