Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock: Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. Cuts Stake

Key Points

• Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price cut its Apple stake by 3.2%, selling 4,707 shares in the third quarter. It retained 144,387 shares valued at about $48.1 million, making Apple its second-largest holding.
• Apple reported quarterly revenue of $114.48 billion, up 11.7% year over year, and earnings per share of $2.10—both above analyst expectations.
• Despite the earnings beat, investors face margin concerns: Apple forecast holiday-quarter gross margins of 45%–46%, citing higher memory-chip costs and Siri AI spending. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a $343.28 average price target.

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. decreased its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 144,387 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 4,707 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 8.5% of Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $48,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd bought a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Ironwood Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. ABS Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $376,168,000. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $118,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $331.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $4.84 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.07. The business's fifty day moving average is $334.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $297.13. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $351.73.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.11. Apple had a return on equity of 128.88% and a net margin of 27.60%. The company had revenue of $114.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $113.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 9.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 12.39%.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the firm's 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 owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,832,236.98. This represents a 29.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 289,252 shares of company stock worth $96,301,063 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reported record September-quarter revenue of $114.48 billion, up 11.7% year over year, and EPS of $2.10, beating analyst estimates. Strong iPhone demand—iPhone revenue rose 17.5%—and Mac sales helped drive the results. Apple Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates, iPhone Drives Top-Line Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating, arguing that investors should look beyond near-term margin pressure to Apple’s longer-term opportunity. Buy Apple Stock After Earnings, Says Bank of America
• Negative Sentiment: The main pressure is Apple’s forecast for a 45%–46% gross margin in the holiday quarter, below the recent quarter’s 47.9%. Management cited sharply higher memory-chip costs and spending tied to Siri AI; investors worry these expenses will limit profit growth even with strong sales. Apple Shares Slide as Higher Memory Costs Fuel Margin Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Investors also saw softer signals beneath the headline beat: services growth is expected to slow, China revenue missed expectations, and higher component costs are being accompanied by increased inventory and supplier commitments. The stock’s premium valuation may make it more vulnerable if growth or margins disappoint. Apple Growth, Margins Likely Face Pressure in 2027, UBS Says

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Apple from $245.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $340.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $343.28.

Apple 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.