Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Lifted by WoodTrust Financial Corp

Key Points

• WoodTrust Financial increased its Apple stake by 4.4% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 88,027 shares valued at approximately $28.99 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s stock.
• Wall Street maintains a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Apple, with an average price target of $340.39. Recent ratings included multiple “Buy” or “Overweight” recommendations, with targets as high as $400.
• Apple recently exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.02 in adjusted EPS and $109.42 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 16.4% year over year. Insiders, including CEO Tim Cook, sold shares recently, though Cook’s transaction was related to tax withholding on vested equity awards.

WoodTrust Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 4.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,027 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 3,750 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 3.6% of WoodTrust Financial Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. WoodTrust Financial Corp's holdings in Apple were worth $28,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd bought a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. ABS Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $376,168,000. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth approximately $118,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AAPL. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on Apple from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.39.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $343.46 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $348.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.39, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $325.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $306.58.

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 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 analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo reportedly sold out within minutes of preorders opening, with delivery estimates pushed into 2027. The response suggests strong pricing power and could establish a significant new premium product category. Apple blames extraordinary demand as foldable iPhones sell out
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI said the iPhone Duo’s extended lead times support its Buy rating and $380 price target. Investors view the launch as a potential catalyst for higher average selling prices and iPhone revenue. Apple early iPhone demand supports Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Meta are collaborating to run Meta’s 816-billion-parameter Muse Spark Open AI model locally on high-end Macs. The partnership may strengthen Mac demand for AI workloads and improve Apple’s AI positioning without requiring a competing mega-scale model. Apple and Meta team up on AI
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS cautioned that iPhone demand could weaken, highlighting the risk that strong initial foldable-phone interest may not translate into sustained volume. Apple’s roughly $5 trillion valuation also leaves the stock dependent on continued execution.
• Negative Sentiment: UK regulators are preparing a legal fight that could require Apple to give competing payment providers access to technology behind Apple Pay’s tap-to-pay functionality. A forced opening could weaken the payments ecosystem and create compliance costs. Apple set for UK legal fight over tap-to-pay rules
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces ongoing concerns about lagging rivals in AI infrastructure and advanced assistants. Reports that some iPhone 18 Pro component orders were reduced add to questions about future handset demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth approximately $828,000. The transaction is small relative to Apple’s size but represents another insider sale and may have modest signaling value.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Timothy Cook sold 191,753 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,086,837,377.28. This trade represents a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total transaction of $827,655.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 37,194 shares in the company, valued at $12,831,930. The trade was a 6.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 281,782 shares of company stock valued at $93,740,172 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Company 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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