CX Institutional Acquires 43,260 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• CX Institutional increased its Apple stake by 17.7% in the third quarter, buying 43,260 shares to reach 287,200 shares valued at approximately $95 million. Apple now represents 2.6% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial, with institutions and hedge funds holding 67.73% of Apple’s shares; major investors including State Street, Berkshire Hathaway and Amundi also adjusted their positions.
• Apple’s outlook includes new smart-home products and favorable analyst ratings, but investors face risks from elevated valuation, mixed iPhone demand signals, insider stock sales and intensifying competition.

CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 17.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 287,200 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 43,260 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 2.6% of CX Institutional's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. CX Institutional's holdings in Apple were worth $95,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. State Street Corp increased its position in Apple by 4.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $182,897,769,000 after buying an additional 28,321,085 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Apple by 23.2% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after acquiring an additional 13,780,080 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple launched the $299 HomeView smart-home hub, featuring an upgraded Siri AI assistant, along with a new Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2, cameras, a video doorbell, smart lock, thermostat and other accessories. The products expand Apple’s ecosystem into the home and provide a potential new source of hardware and services revenue. Apple releases HomeView smart home hub with screen as showcase for Siri AI
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric broaden the Apple Home Collection, including security, energy-management and access-control products that could increase engagement with iPhones, Apple Watches and other Apple devices. LG announces smart-home accessories developed with Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable. Bernstein reiterated a Buy rating with a $370 target, while JPMorgan raised its target to $360. Reports also indicate Apple’s iPhone market share reached 22% in the latest quarter, and iPhone 18 Pro demand may be stronger than last year. Bernstein reiterates Buy rating on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: A federal judge ordered OpenAI to provide hiring records and other materials in Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit, potentially helping Apple investigate the recruitment of former employees and its claims against OpenAI. Judge orders OpenAI to turn over hiring records
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting iPhone Duo preorders on October 16. Strong purchase intent could support the stock, but pricing and delivery trends will be closely watched.
• Negative Sentiment: Some suppliers are reportedly cutting production of newer iPhone models, while shorter delivery windows for Pro models raise questions about demand. Apple’s shares also trade at a demanding valuation, leaving less room for disappointing December-quarter guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn that SpaceX’s potential Starlink smartphone and Google’s expanding health-data platform could intensify competition in wireless services, wearables and ecosystem engagement over time.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 46,389 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction 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 approximately $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Timothy D. Cook sold 191,753 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,086,837,377.28. This represents a 5.55% 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 90 days, insiders have sold 279,383 shares of company stock valued at $92,912,517. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $341.27 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $4.98 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $348.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $324.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $304.61.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on AAPL shares. DZ Bank lowered Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Loop Capital set a $380.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, September 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, September 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.39.

Apple 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.

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.