Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Sold by Athena Investment Management

Key Points

• Athena Investment Management cut its Apple position by 37.1% in the second quarter, selling 6,320 shares and retaining 10,693 shares valued at approximately $3.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Wall Street maintains a generally positive view, with Apple receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.02, despite some analysts citing valuation and cost pressures.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, while recent developments offer mixed signals: new product launches and security features support growth, but a $5.7 billion patent verdict and insider share sales add pressure.

Athena Investment Management lowered its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 37.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,693 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 6,320 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 1.8% of Athena Investment Management's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Athena Investment Management's holdings in Apple were worth $3,094,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 1.3% during the second quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 56,117 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $16,238,000 after purchasing an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. Greenspring Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Greenspring Advisors LLC now owns 66,729 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $19,309,000 after purchasing an additional 4,665 shares during the period. Mayport LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Mayport LLC now owns 32,951 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $9,535,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Rodgers & Associates LTD grew its stake in Apple by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rodgers & Associates LTD now owns 6,370 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,843,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,831,721,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AAPL shares. Maxim Group boosted their price objective on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Phillip Securities increased their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.02.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the completion of 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,430 shares of company stock worth $4,342,255. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is launching new safeguards designed to protect its devices from probing AI agents. The move may strengthen user trust and help preserve Apple’s security-focused ecosystem as agentic AI becomes more prominent. Apple Launches New Safeguards Against AI Agents
• Positive Sentiment: The fall product cycle remains a near-term tailwind. Morgan Stanley modestly raised its revenue forecast after Apple’s launches, while Counterpoint reportedly expects about 6 million sales of the $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo this year. New Apple Watch health features and potential smart-home products could also broaden the company’s ecosystem. Apple’s Fall Product Cycle Could Support Revenue Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an Overweight rating but lowered its price target to $355 from $360. Higher memory and component costs, along with possible iPhone pricing pressure, are offsetting much of the expected product-revenue benefit. Morgan Stanley Adjusts Price Target on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: A jury’s $5.7 billion patent verdict against Apple has raised concerns about potential ongoing royalties and pressure on hardware margins. Apple’s $5.7 Billion Patent Verdict Raises a Bigger Royalty Question
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain worried that AI agents from rivals such as Meta could bypass the App Store and weaken Apple’s high-margin services business. Analysts also see limited upside after Apple’s strong run and its relatively rich valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares valued at approximately $806,496, reducing her direct holdings by 5.4%. The transaction is small relative to her remaining stake but adds modest insider-selling pressure. Apple Insider Transaction Filing

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $333.69 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.07. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $322.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.35. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.42 and a twelve month high of $345.34.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets 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 software platforms, including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and visionOS.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ and iCloud.

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