Rational Advisors Inc. Sells 5,104 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Rational Advisors reduced its Apple position by 24.8% in the second quarter, selling 5,104 shares and retaining 15,510 shares valued at approximately $4.49 million.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, with revenue up 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion and EPS of $2.02, beating analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $340.02.
• Key risks include a $5.7 billion patent verdict, rising component costs, potential AI disruption to the App Store, and insider selling by SVP Jennifer Newstead, who sold shares worth about $806,496.

Rational Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 24.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,510 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 5,104 shares during the quarter. Rational Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $4,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,351,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. JMG Financial Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Apple by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC now owns 7,847 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about 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 Price Performance

AAPL 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 company has a market capitalization of $4.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $322.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.78. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $345.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,430 shares of company stock valued at $4,342,255. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on AAPL. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.02.

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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