Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Sold by Persium Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Persium Advisors reduced its Apple stake by 19.4% in the third quarter, selling 1,646 shares and retaining 6,833 shares valued at approximately $2.28 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.39, although several firms maintain Hold or Underweight ratings.
• Apple reported quarterly revenue of $109.42 billion and EPS of $2.02, exceeding estimates, while shares trade near their 52-week high and at a valuation of roughly 39 times earnings. Investors are also weighing AI competition, potential iPhone demand concerns, legal disputes and continued insider selling.

Persium Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,833 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,646 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 1.2% of Persium Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Persium Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $2,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Prospect Hill Management LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in Apple in the second quarter worth approximately $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $16,064,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $9,513,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AAPL. Piper Sandler began coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. China Renaissance downgraded shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Phillip Securities boosted their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, KeyCorp restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.39.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Meta Platforms are collaborating to let developers run Meta’s large Muse AI model locally on high-end Mac computers. The partnership could strengthen the Mac’s appeal for AI workloads while reducing reliance on cloud computing. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s first foldable iPhone, the 7.6-inch iPhone Duo, begins preorders Friday. A successful launch could open a new premium product category and support revenue growth, although its high price makes demand uncertain. iPhone Duo preorders begin Friday
• Positive Sentiment: Apple recently closed above a $5 trillion market capitalization, reinforcing investor confidence and highlighting the stock’s recent momentum. Reports also indicate Apple Intelligence may finally launch in mainland China in December, expanding the potential user base. Apple tops $5 trillion valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: The China AI rollout is reportedly limited and may exclude the upgraded Siri and Genmoji features, making the launch strategically important but less compelling than a full-featured release. Apple Intelligence in China
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators remain concerned that Apple is spending less on AI than rivals and could fall behind in advanced assistants, while the stock’s elevated valuation leaves less room for execution disappointments. Reported iPhone 18 Pro component-order reductions add to demand concerns. Apple reportedly cuts iPhone 18 orders
• Negative Sentiment: Apple is challenging a $5.7 billion damages ruling in a patent case, while OpenAI alleges that a former employee who joined Apple took confidential information about an unreleased device. Both matters create potential financial and reputational risk. Apple challenges Taction damages ruling
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 Apple shares for approximately $828,000. The transaction is relatively small compared with Apple’s market value, but insider selling can add modest short-term pressure.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $342.00 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $325.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $305.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.99 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $348.15.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. Apple's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Apple news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of Apple 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. This trade represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 281,782 shares of company stock worth $93,740,172. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Company Profile

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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