Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Bought by Friday Financial

Key Points

• Friday Financial increased its Apple stake by 20.8% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 24,653 shares valued at approximately $8.14 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.12, although some firms maintain cautious or underweight views.
• 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 pays a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, while insiders recently sold shares primarily to cover tax obligations.

Friday Financial lifted its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,653 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 4,250 shares during the period. Apple makes up 1.6% of Friday Financial's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Friday Financial's holdings in Apple were worth $8,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. ANB Bank boosted its stake in Apple by 17.8% during the third quarter. ANB Bank now owns 44,670 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $14,442,000 after buying an additional 6,737 shares in the last quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. increased its stake in Apple by 4.7% in the third quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 16,561 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,472,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the period. Freestate Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Freestate Advisors LLC now owns 4,505 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,500,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC raised its stake in Apple by 50.1% during the third quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 36,018 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $11,309,000 after acquiring an additional 12,027 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC now owns 57,932 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $18,584,000 after purchasing an additional 11,885 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Maxim Group lifted their price objective on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.12.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $339.50 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $327.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.80. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.42 and a fifty-two week high of $348.15. 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 $4.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, insider Timothy D. Cook sold 191,753 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total value of $63,846,078.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. This trade represents a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 284,454 shares of company stock worth $94,662,594. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone reportedly generated extraordinary preorders, with delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The response supports premium pricing and suggests the new product could become a meaningful growth catalyst. Apple’s $1,999 foldable phone is set to hit stores Friday
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Mac launch: Apple scheduled its “Pro and Tell” event for October 28, where analysts expect new Macs and potentially the company’s first touchscreen MacBook. The event could provide a near-term catalyst and demonstrate momentum under CEO John Ternus. Apple announces product launch event for Oct. 28
• Positive Sentiment: Supply-chain and ecosystem investments: Apple committed up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier to support iPhone production. Apple Wallet car-key support is also expanding to select General Motors vehicles, strengthening the company’s hardware and services ecosystem. Apple commits up to $100 million for U.S. titanium
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst outlook: Bank of America and JPMorgan maintained bullish ratings, citing iPhone Duo demand and long-term AI potential, while other analysts have become more cautious.
• Negative Sentiment: Downgrades and demand concerns: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold and cut its price target from $370 to $330, citing risks that iPhone shipments may not recover as expected. KeyBanc also flagged weaker upgrade intentions among consumers. Apple gets a downgrade from Loop Capital on fears of slow iPhone sales
• Negative Sentiment: Margin and valuation risk: UBS expects higher memory and component costs to pressure gross margins while iPhone growth slows. With Apple trading at a premium earnings multiple, investors may require stronger earnings or a new catalyst to support further gains. Apple faces gross margin pressure as UBS flags slowing iPhone growth

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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