First Community Trust NA Sells 4,159 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

First Community Trust NA trimmed its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,805 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 4,159 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 5.5% of First Community Trust NA's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. First Community Trust NA's holdings in Apple were worth $12,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Apple by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $164,218,801,000 after purchasing an additional 6,555,392 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $97,031,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866,103 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 230,483,035 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $62,659,118,000 after acquiring an additional 1,379,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $52,266,468,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.95, for a total transaction of $447,457.05. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 37,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,576,357.55. This trade represents a 3.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,433 shares of company stock valued at $1,367,024. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL traded down $6.07 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $313.63. The stock had a trading volume of 15,356,139 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,963,801. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $225.95 and a 12 month high of $344.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.58 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.97, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.09. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $312.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $288.52.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Orderly CEO succession: Tim Cook is leaving the CEO role after 15 years but will remain Apple’s executive chairman. Cook strongly endorsed successor John Ternus, a longtime hardware leader, potentially reducing fears of an abrupt management break. Tim Cook's parting message: Apple is in the hands of a product builder
• Positive Sentiment: Product catalysts ahead: Apple’s first major product event under Ternus is expected September 9, with reports pointing to new iPhones and a possible foldable model. Strong iPhone demand, potential iOS market-share gains and rising interest in Mac hardware for AI workloads could support future revenue. Apple Valuation Nears $5T as John Ternus Steps Up as New CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong track record and support: Cook’s tenure produced substantial shareholder gains, while Apple’s latest quarter delivered revenue growth and an earnings beat. Analysts’ median price target remains above the current quotation, although the stock’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment.
• Negative Sentiment: AI strategy concerns: Ternus inherits an artificial-intelligence strategy that relies heavily on outside partners, leaving Apple behind leading rivals in some areas. Investors will look for evidence that the new CEO can accelerate AI-powered Siri and on-device capabilities. Apple’s New CEO Inherits an AI Strategy Built on Outsiders
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risks: Commentators warn that App Store pressure, supply-chain challenges, potential memory-cost inflation and a trailing P/E near 37 make Apple vulnerable if the September launch disappoints. Apple TV+’s latest price increase could also slow subscriber growth. Apple Is Facing One of Its Most Challenging Times in a Decade

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Apple from $276.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, China Renaissance lowered Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.53.

About Apple

Apple Inc NASDAQ: AAPL is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple's principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.