Searcy Financial Services Inc. ADV Sells 1,718 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Searcy Financial Services reduced its Apple stake by 3.7%, selling 1,718 shares and retaining 45,192 shares valued at approximately $15.05 million. Apple represents 5.4% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $340.39.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings of $2.02 per share and revenue of $109.42 billion, exceeding estimates, while insiders sold $92.9 million worth of stock over the past three months.

Searcy Financial Services Inc. ADV lowered its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,192 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,718 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 5.4% of Searcy Financial Services Inc. ADV's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Searcy Financial Services Inc. ADV's holdings in Apple were worth $15,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Stewardship Concepts Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stewardship Concepts Financial Services LLC now owns 1,930 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $643,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Mallini Complete Financial Planning LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mallini Complete Financial Planning LLC now owns 3,812 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,656,363 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $548,018,000 after acquiring an additional 46,617 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 7.4% in the third quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 73,396 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $24,067,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 5.2% in the third quarter. RVW Wealth LLC now owns 139,003 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $46,085,000 after purchasing an additional 6,846 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Evercore set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Citic Securities lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.39.

Insider Activity

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at $14,116,870.56. This represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total transaction of $8,460,671.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at $19,832,236.98. This represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders sold a total of 279,383 shares of company stock worth $92,912,517 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s $299 HomeView smart-home hub, along with new cameras, a doorbell, smart lock, thermostat and updated Apple TV and HomePod products, gives the company new hardware and ecosystem expansion opportunities. Analysts also see potential for recurring iCloud+ and other Services revenue. Apple releases HomeView smart home hub with screen as showcase for Siri AI
• Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly plans to launch Apple Intelligence in mainland China in December, potentially improving access to AI features in a strategically important market. Apple to Release AI Platform in Mainland China
• Positive Sentiment: Apple benefited from news that GlobalFoundries will build two New York fabs with up to $21 billion in U.S.-Japan funding. Apple is expected to source chips from the expanded domestic capacity, supporting supply-chain diversification. GlobalFoundries Secures $21B for New York Fabs
• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism was reinforced by Apple’s market value reclaiming the $5 trillion milestone, while analyst Dan Ives suggested a stronger AI strategy could support a $400 price target. Apple reaches new highs ahead of iPhone Duo preorders
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s iPhone Duo preorders begin October 16. Strong demand could provide a near-term catalyst, but reports of shorter iPhone 18 Pro delivery windows and reduced supplier production have raised questions about demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts estimate that a paid, more capable Siri could eventually generate substantial Services revenue, but Apple has not announced pricing or a launch date for expanded AI access.
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI alleges that a former employee who joined Apple transferred more than 100 confidential files concerning an unreleased device. The case could create legal, reputational and product-development risks, although there is no indication Apple used the information. OpenAI alleges former employee took device files to Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Gene Munster warned Apple could lose the AI platform battle if users become loyal to rival assistants such as Meta’s Muse or Grok. Critics also questioned whether HomeView meaningfully addresses Apple’s AI shortcomings.
• Negative Sentiment: With Apple trading near record levels at a rich valuation, investors are concerned that slower growth, margin pressure and uncertain iPhone demand may limit further upside.

Apple Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $342.96 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $5.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $348.15. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $324.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $305.24.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid 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 payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

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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