Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Sold by Spartan Planning & Wealth Management

Spartan Planning & Wealth Management decreased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 17.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,406 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 5,396 shares during the period. Apple comprises 5.5% of Spartan Planning & Wealth Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management’s holdings in Apple were worth $8,461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. State Street Corp increased its stake in Apple by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $182,897,769,000 after buying an additional 28,321,085 shares during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after buying an additional 13,780,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAPL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Maxim Group boosted their price target on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $370.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.12.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge
• Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total value of $8,460,671.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $348.22 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.42 and a fifty-two week high of $348.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $328.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $309.07. The firm has a market cap of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 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 business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Apple Profile

Apple Inc designs, develops and sells 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 applications that support its hardware ecosystem.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple Pay and other subscription, payment and digital-content offerings.