Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock: LexAurum Advisors LLC Decreases Stake

Key Points

• LexAurum Advisors LLC reduced its Apple stake by 3.5% in the third quarter, selling 2,875 shares and retaining 78,996 shares valued at approximately $26.3 million. Apple remains the firm’s fifth-largest holding and represents about 2.9% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported a stronger-than-expected fiscal fourth quarter, with revenue of $114.48 billion and EPS of $2.10, driven by 17% growth in iPhone revenue and record Mac and Services sales. However, China, iPad and Wearables sales missed estimates, while higher memory-chip costs and rising inventory could pressure margins.
• Apple shares opened at $338.32, near their 12-month high, while institutional investors own 67.73% of the stock. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $340.49.

LexAurum Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 78,996 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,875 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 2.9% of LexAurum Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. LexAurum Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $26,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jackson Square Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jackson Square Capital LLC now owns 125,045 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $41,642,000 after buying an additional 9,278 shares during the period. Quantum Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 23.1% during the third quarter. Quantum Financial Partners LLC now owns 17,131 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,705,000 after acquiring an additional 3,215 shares during the period. Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 25.9% during the third quarter. Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC now owns 16,043 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,343,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Prospera Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 4.9% during the third quarter. Prospera Capital Management LLC now owns 7,314 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,436,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. Finally, Blankinship & Foster LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 1.5% in the third quarter. Blankinship & Foster LLC now owns 18,440 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $6,141,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $114.48 billion, up 12% year over year and above the approximately $113.4 billion consensus estimate. Diluted EPS of $2.10 also exceeded expectations near $1.99. Apple results beat Wall Street expectations on strong iPhone sales
• Positive Sentiment: Growth was led by early demand for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, with iPhone revenue reaching $57.6 billion, up 17%, while Mac sales and Services also set records. Apple’s active installed base reached an all-time high, supporting its ecosystem and recurring-revenue outlook. Apple Q4 earnings call: Ternus breaks down excellent quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Relatively light quarterly capital spending of $2.24 billion, below the expected $3.33 billion, reinforces Apple’s cash-generation and capital-discipline story as other technology companies spend heavily on AI infrastructure. Big quarterly beats after the close
• Neutral Sentiment: The report was the first under CEO John Ternus. His defense of Apple’s measured AI strategy may appeal to investors seeking profitable, product-focused AI development, but it leaves the company with less visible AI investment than major rivals.
• Negative Sentiment: China revenue fell short of projections, while iPad and Wearables, Home and Accessories sales missed estimates. These weaknesses offset the iPhone and Mac strength and raised concerns about regional and product-line momentum. New CEO John Ternus delivers an Apple earnings beat
• Negative Sentiment: Memory-chip inflation and component shortages threaten future gross margins. Apple’s inventory rose from $11.09 billion to $14.54 billion during the quarter, suggesting the company is stockpiling components but also tying up more cash. Apple inventory surges as memory chip costs climb
• Negative Sentiment: EPS benefited from a roughly $0.05-per-share tariff refund, and gross margin received an approximately one-percentage-point boost. Investors may therefore view part of the earnings beat as one-time rather than purely operational. Apple reports fourth quarter results

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total transaction of $442,112.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,224,675.20. This represents a 3.23% 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, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $343.36, for a total transaction of $823,720.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 32,396 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,123,490.56. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 289,252 shares of company stock worth $96,301,063. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $338.32 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $351.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $333.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $296.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.94 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.11. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The company had revenue of $114.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Citic Securities upped their price objective on Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $303.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.49.

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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