Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Sold by Carter Financial Group INC.

Key Points

• Carter Financial Group reduced its Apple stake by 12.2% in the second quarter, selling 3,107 shares and retaining 22,405 shares valued at approximately $6.48 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s stock.
• Apple reported quarterly revenue of $109.42 billion and earnings of $2.02 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue increased 16.4% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $340.02.
• Risks include a $5.7 billion patent verdict, potential pressure on hardware margins from royalties and higher component costs, and concerns that competing AI agents could bypass the App Store. Apple SVP Jennifer Newstead also sold 2,399 shares worth about $806,496.

Carter Financial Group INC. trimmed its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 12.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,405 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 3,107 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 3.5% of Carter Financial Group INC.'s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Carter Financial Group INC.'s holdings in Apple were worth $6,483,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Avenir Tech Ltd purchased a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. ABS Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth about $376,168,000. Finally, Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Apple

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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,430 shares of company stock valued at $4,342,255. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Key Apple News

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

AAPL stock opened at $333.69 on Monday. 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 cap of $4.87 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.27, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $322.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $300.35. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $345.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Maxim Group raised their price objective on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.02.

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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