Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock: Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. Cuts Position

Key Points

• Bouchey Financial Group reduced its Apple stake by 1.3%, selling 3,439 shares and retaining 257,515 shares valued at approximately $74.5 million. Apple remains about 4.8% of the firm’s portfolio, while institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of the stock.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02 versus the $1.89 consensus estimate, with revenue rising 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. Shares traded near $336.64, with a market capitalization of roughly $4.91 trillion and a P/E ratio of 38.61.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $340.02, although investors are weighing potential AI and smart-home growth against iPhone demand concerns, elevated valuation, margin pressure and recent insider selling.

Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 257,515 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 3,439 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 4.8% of Bouchey Financial Group Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd.'s holdings in Apple were worth $74,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Miramontes Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Miramontes Capital LLC now owns 93,662 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $27,102,000 after buying an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Core Capital Management & Research inc. bought a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $614,000. Palogic Value Management L.P. lifted its stake in Apple by 107.3% in the second quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 94,189 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $27,287,000 after acquiring an additional 48,752 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank of Raymore lifted its stake in Apple by 3.2% in the second quarter. Community Bank of Raymore now owns 17,777 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,144,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IPG Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 78,040 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $22,582,000 after purchasing an additional 6,854 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Potential AI upside: Analyst Dan Ives said Apple could become a “toll collector” for consumer AI by monetizing its more than 2.5 billion active devices and Services ecosystem. He estimates AI could add approximately $75 per share to the company’s value. Apple Could Be the Toll Collector of Consumer AI
• Positive Sentiment: Smart-home expansion: Apple’s planned October 13 “Welcome Home” event could introduce products such as a smart lock, thermostat and doorbell. The initiative may expand Apple’s hardware and Services opportunities and strengthen its position against Amazon and Google. Apple Smart Home Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Possible seasonal order adjustment: Bespoke Investment Group noted that Apple’s autumn iPhone order reductions have occurred in prior years and have sometimes been followed by a stock recovery. Investors will look for evidence that the latest cuts reflect normal supply-chain management rather than lasting demand weakness. Apple’s iPhone Order Cut and Stock Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: iPhone demand concerns: Nikkei Asia reported that Apple asked suppliers to cut iPhone 18 Pro component production, raising concerns that premium pricing is discouraging consumers. The reports are particularly important because Apple is preparing to pursue an even higher-priced product strategy, including a rumored $1,999 foldable iPhone. Apple Cuts iPhone 18 Pro Orders Due to Soft Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks: Apple’s elevated earnings multiple leaves less room for disappointment, while higher memory costs could pressure margins. A recent senior vice president stock sale was relatively small but adds to near-term caution. Apple Senior Vice President Stock Sale

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $336.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $322.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $303.36. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $345.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.91 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $355.00 price objective on Apple and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.02.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Timothy Cook sold 191,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,086,837,377.28. The trade was a 5.55% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 279,383 shares of company stock worth $92,912,517. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

About Apple

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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