Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Holdings Boosted by Ardent Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Ardent Capital Management increased its Apple stake by 62.9% in the third quarter, holding 88,235 shares valued at approximately $27.4 million. Apple now represents 11.8% of Ardent’s portfolio, while institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with Apple carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $340.49, despite some analysts maintaining neutral ratings.
• Apple insiders sold roughly $96.3 million in shares during the latest quarter to cover tax obligations from vested equity awards. Separately, the company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $2.02 in EPS and $109.42 billion in revenue.

Ardent Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 62.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,235 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 34,057 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 11.8% of Ardent Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Ardent Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $27,382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in Apple by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after acquiring an additional 13,780,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Citic Securities upped their target price on Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. CICC Research upped their price objective on Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.49.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction of $15,467,020.38. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 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 completion of the transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 289,252 shares of company stock worth $96,301,063 in the last quarter. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $344.63 on Monday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $333.04 and a 200-day moving average of $296.38. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $351.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.03 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple acquired Ascension Labs, which operates as Ascend.io, gaining access to agentic artificial-intelligence talent and intellectual property. The deal supports Apple’s effort to strengthen its AI capabilities, although financial terms were not disclosed. Apple Acquires AI Firm Ascend.io Talent and Patents
• Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators remain supportive: the foldable iPhone Duo reportedly sold out quickly, orders are backed up, and Apple is positioned to benefit from strong iPhone, Mac and Services demand. Analysts including Bank of America and Goldman Sachs remain constructive, with BofA reiterating a Buy rating and a $370 price target. Analyst Reiterates Buy on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: The first touchscreen MacBook Pro, equipped with OLED displays and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, expands Apple’s premium hardware lineup and could support a new product-cycle catalyst. Apple Shows First Touchscreen Laptops
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s earnings report is the immediate focus. Investors will look for evidence that revenue growth, Services momentum and AI investments can offset rising component costs and potentially slower holiday growth. Options activity suggests substantial volatility around the release. Apple November 2 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: AI-related demand has sharply increased flash-memory prices, raising concerns that Apple’s gross margin will come under pressure. Qualcomm also indicated that Apple-related revenue is declining faster than previously expected, reinforcing concerns about the pace of future iPhone growth. AI Has Made Flash Memory More Expensive
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 40 times earnings and near its yearly high, Apple has limited room for an earnings or guidance disappointment. A senior vice president’s repeated stock sales and a South Korean fine related to app-market practices add modest additional caution. Apple Insider Selling

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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