Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC Sells 5,635 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Laidlaw Wealth Management reduced its Apple stake by 42.6% in the second quarter, selling 5,635 shares and retaining 7,597 shares worth approximately $2.2 million. Apple remains the firm’s largest holding, representing 6.7% of its portfolio.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Apple receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.02, although some firms cite valuation concerns and rising component costs.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, but investors face risks from a $5.7 billion patent verdict, potential pressure on its high-margin services business from competing AI agents, and recent insider selling.

Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 42.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,597 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 5,635 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 6.7% of Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $2,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,443,242,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $13,658,359,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $10,588,946,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on AAPL. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Loop Capital set a $380.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, September 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, September 25th. HSBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $366.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Apple from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.02.

Apple News Summary

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 Price Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $333.69 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $4.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.27, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $345.34. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $322.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $300.01.

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 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,430 shares of company stock worth $4,342,255. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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