Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Position Boosted by Forbes J M & Co. LLP

Key Points

• Forbes J M & Co. LLP increased its Apple position by 1.5% in the third quarter, owning 252,177 shares valued at approximately $83.8 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple insiders sold shares during the quarter, including CEO John Ternus’s $8.46 million sale, while total insider sales reached approximately $96.3 million. Insider ownership remains very low at 0.06%.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Apple carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $340.49. The company recently exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, although its shares trade near their 52-week high at a lofty valuation.

Forbes J M & Co. LLP increased its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 252,177 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 3,715 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 6.0% of Forbes J M & Co. LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Forbes J M & Co. LLP's holdings in Apple were worth $83,823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Gemmer Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gemmer Asset Management LLC now owns 55,430 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $18,459,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its position in Apple by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 3,566 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $1,188,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Apple by 14.6% during the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 26,361 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $8,591,000 after acquiring an additional 3,350 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter valued at about $1,111,000. Finally, CWS Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 377.4% during the third quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 304,867 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $101,527,000 after acquiring an additional 241,009 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total value of $8,460,671.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,832,236.98. The trade was a 29.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 289,252 shares of company stock valued at $96,301,063. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AAPL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. CICC Research raised their price target on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.49.

Apple Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $344.63 on Friday. 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $333.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $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 P/E ratio of 39.52, a PEG ratio of 2.73 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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The business's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More Apple News

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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