Strategic Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Strategic Advisors LLC cut its Apple stake by 12.2% in the second quarter, selling 23,193 shares and retaining 167,122 shares valued at approximately $48.4 million. Apple remains the fund’s second-largest holding, representing 9.1% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02, beating estimates of $1.89, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.02. However, Apple faces risks from higher component costs, potential pricing pressure, patent-related liabilities and concerns that AI agents could disrupt its App Store ecosystem.

Strategic Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 167,122 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 23,193 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 9.1% of Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $48,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 41,992 shares in the company, 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 is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,430 shares of company stock valued at $4,342,255. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $330.32 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $322.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $299.78. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.42 and a 1-year high of $345.34. The company has a market cap of $4.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.88, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given 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 dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AAPL. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Maxim Group lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Argus upped their price target on Apple from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.02.

More Apple News

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 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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