Community Trust & Investment Co. Trims Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Community Trust & Investment Co. trimmed its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 377,257 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,748 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 5.6% of Community Trust & Investment Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Community Trust & Investment Co.’s holdings in Apple were worth $109,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. OFS Enterprise LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 2.1% in the second quarter. OFS Enterprise LLC now owns 13,276 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,841,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. LifeGoal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. LifeGoal Investments LLC now owns 17,236 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,987,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 31,184 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $9,023,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group lifted its position in shares of Apple by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 162,755 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $47,095,000 after purchasing an additional 3,445 shares during the period. Finally, Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC now owns 7,105 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,056,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $309.35 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $4.51 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $310.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $287.04. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $224.69 and a 12-month high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced 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 business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. HSBC upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, July 13th. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.53.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Incoming CEO John Ternus is expected to reassess Apple’s research-and-development budget and potentially increase spending on AI. Analysts see stronger investment in Siri and other AI products as a way to close the gap with technology rivals. Apple Could Get a New R&D and AI Budget
• Positive Sentiment: Potential product catalysts include an AI-enhanced Siri expected later this year, camera-equipped AI AirPods targeted for 2027 and a foldable iPhone that one analyst estimates could sell 14 million units by 2027. Successful launches could support a major upgrade cycle. Apple Wants to Pay Publishers to Improve Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s nationwide rollout of contactless payments will add Apple Pay acceptance across its U.S. stores, websites and apps. The move expands Apple Pay’s reach and strengthens Apple’s services ecosystem. Walmart Adds Apple Pay Nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity showed a modestly bullish bias, with calls outnumbering puts, while implied volatility remained below its 52-week median. However, the signal was not strong enough to establish a decisive near-term direction. Apple Options Sentiment
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s leadership change on September 1 is creating both opportunity and uncertainty. Bank of America maintains a Buy view but says Ternus must deliver more surprising products and technologies because the company has become increasingly predictable. Apple Must Relearn How to Surprise
• Negative Sentiment: Apple reportedly cut more than 200 positions tied to Siri and the Vision Pro headset while redirecting resources toward future devices. The restructuring may improve efficiency, but it also highlights execution challenges in AI and spatial computing.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have warned that Apple’s insulation from macroeconomic and competitive headwinds is fading. With shares trading at a high earnings multiple, investors may be less tolerant of slower growth, regulatory pressure and delays in AI products. Apple’s Immunity to Headwinds Is Fading
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Apple is quietly shifting attention toward China add geopolitical and demand risk, while its substantial tax settlement and filings highlighting large profits routed through Ireland could renew regulatory scrutiny.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares under a prearranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction is relatively small and does not necessarily signal a change in fundamentals, but it provides a modest negative headline.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.49, for a total value of $442,478.11. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 38,668 shares in the company, valued at $11,890,023.32. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,994 shares of company stock worth $919,567. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

About Apple

Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple’s principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.