Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Rise Advisors LLC

Rise Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 40.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,004 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 6,889 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 0.9% of Rise Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Rise Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $3,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 0.3% in the second quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,351,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Thor Investment Management Inc. OH ADV grew its position in Apple by 1.6% in the third quarter. Thor Investment Management Inc. OH ADV now owns 1,912 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $637,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC grew its position in Apple by 0.4% in the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,054,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. increased its stake 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Forward LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Forward LLC now owns 13,327 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,438,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $344.63 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $351.73. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $333.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $296.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.52, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total value of $442,112.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,224,675.20. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.05, for a total transaction of $480,309.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,539 shares in the company, valued at $6,051,831.95. The trade was a 7.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 289,252 shares of company stock valued at $96,301,063 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple acquired Ascension Labs, which operates as Ascend.io, gaining access to agentic artificial-intelligence talent and intellectual property. The deal supports Apple’s effort to strengthen its AI capabilities, although financial terms were not disclosed. Apple Acquires AI Firm Ascend.io Talent and Patents
• Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators remain supportive: the foldable iPhone Duo reportedly sold out quickly, orders are backed up, and Apple is positioned to benefit from strong iPhone, Mac and Services demand. Analysts including Bank of America and Goldman Sachs remain constructive, with BofA reiterating a Buy rating and a $370 price target. Analyst Reiterates Buy on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: The first touchscreen MacBook Pro, equipped with OLED displays and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, expands Apple’s premium hardware lineup and could support a new product-cycle catalyst. Apple Shows First Touchscreen Laptops
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s earnings report is the immediate focus. Investors will look for evidence that revenue growth, Services momentum and AI investments can offset rising component costs and potentially slower holiday growth. Options activity suggests substantial volatility around the release. Apple November 2 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: AI-related demand has sharply increased flash-memory prices, raising concerns that Apple’s gross margin will come under pressure. Qualcomm also indicated that Apple-related revenue is declining faster than previously expected, reinforcing concerns about the pace of future iPhone growth. AI Has Made Flash Memory More Expensive
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 40 times earnings and near its yearly high, Apple has limited room for an earnings or guidance disappointment. A senior vice president’s repeated stock sales and a South Korean fine related to app-market practices add modest additional caution. Apple Insider Selling

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Maxim Group raised their target price on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.49.

Apple Company 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.