Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock: Edge Wealth Management LLC Reduces Position

Key Points

• Edge Wealth Management reduced its Apple position by 1.1%, selling 1,861 shares and retaining 163,487 shares valued at approximately $55 million. Apple remains the firm’s third-largest holding and represents 7.9% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, while analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.12; however, Loop Capital downgraded the stock to “Hold” and lowered its target to $330.
• Apple reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue, with earnings per share of $2.02 and revenue of $109.42 billion. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, while recent insider sales totaled roughly $95.5 million.

Edge Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 163,487 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,861 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 7.9% of Edge Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Edge Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $55,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 822.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 260,792 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $118,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $161,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on Apple in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $370.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners lowered Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.12.

Insider Activity

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $339.62, for a total value of $814,748.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 34,795 shares in the company, valued at $11,817,077.90. The trade was a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $348.22 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $348.36. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $328.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $309.07. The company has a market cap of $5.08 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company 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 firm's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. 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. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were given 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 is currently 12.39%.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge
• Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns.

About Apple

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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