Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock: HWG Holdings LP Raises Stake

HWG Holdings LP lifted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 65.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 74,138 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,256 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 5.7% of HWG Holdings LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. HWG Holdings LP’s holdings in Apple were worth $24,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Prospect Hill Management LLC bought a new position in Apple in the second quarter worth approximately $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $16,064,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd bought a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $9,513,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:AAPL traded up $1.46 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $343.46. 59,879,121 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 38,324,512. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $348.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $325.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $306.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its 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 net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. Apple’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction of $15,467,020.38. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total value of $827,655.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 37,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,831,930. This represents a 6.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 281,782 shares of company stock worth $93,740,172. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $303.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Evercore set a $380.00 price objective on Apple and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, China Renaissance lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.39.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo reportedly sold out within minutes of preorders opening, with delivery estimates pushed into 2027. The response suggests strong pricing power and could establish a significant new premium product category. Apple blames extraordinary demand as foldable iPhones sell out
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI said the iPhone Duo’s extended lead times support its Buy rating and $380 price target. Investors view the launch as a potential catalyst for higher average selling prices and iPhone revenue. Apple early iPhone demand supports Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Meta are collaborating to run Meta’s 816-billion-parameter Muse Spark Open AI model locally on high-end Macs. The partnership may strengthen Mac demand for AI workloads and improve Apple’s AI positioning without requiring a competing mega-scale model. Apple and Meta team up on AI
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS cautioned that iPhone demand could weaken, highlighting the risk that strong initial foldable-phone interest may not translate into sustained volume. Apple’s roughly $5 trillion valuation also leaves the stock dependent on continued execution.
• Negative Sentiment: UK regulators are preparing a legal fight that could require Apple to give competing payment providers access to technology behind Apple Pay’s tap-to-pay functionality. A forced opening could weaken the payments ecosystem and create compliance costs. Apple set for UK legal fight over tap-to-pay rules
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces ongoing concerns about lagging rivals in AI infrastructure and advanced assistants. Reports that some iPhone 18 Pro component orders were reduced add to questions about future handset demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth approximately $828,000. The transaction is small relative to Apple’s size but represents another insider sale and may have modest signaling value.

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.