Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Position Raised by Central Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• Central Bank & Trust Co. increased its Apple stake by 16.8% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 106,981 shares valued at approximately $34.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple insiders sold 281,782 shares worth about $93.7 million during the last quarter, including CEO John Ternus’s $8.5 million sale, which was made to cover tax obligations from vested equity awards.
• Apple shares opened at $343.46, near their 52-week high, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $340.39. The company recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates and pays a $0.27 quarterly dividend.

Central Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 106,981 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 15,401 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 5.3% of Central Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Central Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Apple were worth $34,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. 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 in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 23.2% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total transaction of $8,460,671.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total transaction of $827,655.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 37,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,831,930. This trade represents a 6.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 281,782 shares of company stock worth $93,740,172. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $343.46 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $348.15. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.01 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.39, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $325.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $306.58.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for 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%. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. KGI Securities downgraded shares of Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Maxim Group upped their target price on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Arete Research raised their target price on Apple from $305.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.39.

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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