Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock: Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Position

Key Points

• Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors increased its Apple position by 5.2% in the third quarter, adding 9,723 shares to own 195,668 shares valued at approximately $64.3 million. Apple now represents about 1.1% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors hold 67.73% of Apple’s outstanding stock, with major firms including State Street, Berkshire Hathaway, Bank of America, Legal & General and Amundi recently increasing or initiating positions.
• Apple’s shares trade near record highs with a market capitalization of about $5.08 trillion and a P/E ratio near 40, making valuation a key concern despite strong earnings growth, foldable-iPhone demand and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating.

Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 5.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 195,668 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 9,723 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 1.1% of Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $64,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Apple by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $182,897,769,000 after purchasing an additional 28,321,085 shares during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Apple by 23.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after buying an additional 13,780,080 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

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.

Apple Stock Up 1.2%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $348.22 on Friday. 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 market capitalization of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $243.42 and a one year high of $348.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $328.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $309.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Timothy D. 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 sale, the insider owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. This represents a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. Citic Securities boosted their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a report on Thursday, August 6th. China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.12.

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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