Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Reduces Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management reduced its Apple stake by 2.8% in the second quarter, selling 102,621 shares and retaining 3.57 million shares valued at approximately $1.03 billion. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with Apple holding a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $340.02, despite some downgrades and concerns about component costs and pricing pressure.
• Apple reported quarterly results above expectations, including $2.02 in earnings per share and $109.42 billion in revenue, while an executive sold 2,399 shares worth about $806,496. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 2.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,571,020 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 102,621 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 0.6% of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Apple were worth $1,033,310,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at about $30,443,242,000. Nuveen LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 75,000,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $20,389,750,000 after buying an additional 2,725,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in Apple by 23.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $18,547,637,000 after acquiring an additional 13,780,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Phillip Securities raised their target price on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Citic Securities lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.02.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 13,430 shares of company stock worth $4,342,255 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Down 0.8%

AAPL stock opened at $330.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $345.34. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $322.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $299.78.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new fall product cycle is supporting revenue expectations. Morgan Stanley modestly raised its revenue forecast following the product launches, while Counterpoint expects approximately 6 million units of Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo foldable to be sold this year. Strong early iPhone 18 Pro demand in China—up 12% year over year during launch week—also supports near-term sales momentum. Apple’s Fall Product Cycle Could Support Revenue Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is expanding its ecosystem beyond the iPhone. Health-focused Apple Watch features, including a health-age metric and Readiness score, could help defend its wearables lead, while a planned October 13 smart-home event may introduce a new hub centered on Siri and Apple Intelligence. Apple Is Betting Improved Heart and Health Insights Will Boost Watch Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its Apple price target to $355 from $360 but retained an Overweight rating. Analysts cited higher memory and component costs and potential iPhone pricing pressure, which largely offset the benefit from stronger product revenue. Morgan Stanley Adjusts Price Target on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: A jury ordered Apple to pay $5.7 billion over Taptic Engine patent claims, raising concerns about additional royalties and pressure on hardware margins. The company also faces a UK marketplace class action. Apple’s $5.7 Billion Patent Verdict Raises a Bigger Royalty Question
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI agents such as Meta’s Muse could bypass Apple’s App Store and weaken its high-margin services ecosystem. Analysts said Apple’s product roadmap is attractive but lacks a clear catalyst after its recent rally. Apple Stock’s Upside May Be Limited as AI Agents Could Disrupt Business
• Negative Sentiment: Apple SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth approximately $806,496, reducing her holdings by 5.4%. The sale is relatively small compared with her remaining stake but adds modest insider-selling pressure. Apple Insider Transaction Filing

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.

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