Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Holdings Cut by Factor Wealth Management LTD

Key Points

• Factor Wealth Management cut its Apple stake by 49.2% in the third quarter, selling 17,267 shares and retaining 17,844 shares valued at approximately $5.94 million. Institutional investors still own 67.73% of Apple.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.39, although analyst views range from “Strong Buy” to “Sell.”
• Apple reported quarterly revenue growth of 16.4% and earnings of $2.02 per share, beating estimates, while shares traded near their 12-month high. Investors continue to weigh strong premium-device demand and AI opportunities against regulatory pressure and concerns about future iPhone demand.

Factor Wealth Management LTD reduced its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,844 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 17,267 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 0.9% of Factor Wealth Management LTD's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Factor Wealth Management LTD's holdings in Apple were worth $5,943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Apple by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $182,897,769,000 after buying an additional 28,321,085 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 23.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $18,547,637,000 after buying an additional 13,780,080 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Moffett Nathanson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $304.00 price objective (up from $270.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.39.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo reportedly sold out within minutes of preorders opening, with delivery estimates pushed into 2027. The response suggests strong pricing power and could establish a significant new premium product category. Apple blames extraordinary demand as foldable iPhones sell out
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI said the iPhone Duo’s extended lead times support its Buy rating and $380 price target. Investors view the launch as a potential catalyst for higher average selling prices and iPhone revenue. Apple early iPhone demand supports Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Meta are collaborating to run Meta’s 816-billion-parameter Muse Spark Open AI model locally on high-end Macs. The partnership may strengthen Mac demand for AI workloads and improve Apple’s AI positioning without requiring a competing mega-scale model. Apple and Meta team up on AI
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS cautioned that iPhone demand could weaken, highlighting the risk that strong initial foldable-phone interest may not translate into sustained volume. Apple’s roughly $5 trillion valuation also leaves the stock dependent on continued execution.
• Negative Sentiment: UK regulators are preparing a legal fight that could require Apple to give competing payment providers access to technology behind Apple Pay’s tap-to-pay functionality. A forced opening could weaken the payments ecosystem and create compliance costs. Apple set for UK legal fight over tap-to-pay rules
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces ongoing concerns about lagging rivals in AI infrastructure and advanced assistants. Reports that some iPhone 18 Pro component orders were reduced add to questions about future handset demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth approximately $828,000. The transaction is small relative to Apple’s size but represents another insider sale and may have modest signaling value.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was 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 owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 281,782 shares of company stock worth $93,740,172 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of AAPL opened at $343.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.01 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $348.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $325.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $306.16.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 12.39%.

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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