7,731 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Salem Investment Counselors Inc.

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. cut its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 932,568 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 7,731 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 7.6% of Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $310,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and 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 in the 2nd quarter valued at $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,443,242,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $13,658,359,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth about $10,588,946,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Citic Securities lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $366.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total value of $442,112.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,224,675.20. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $347.73 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $351.73. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $329.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $309.34. 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 $5.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid 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 of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 12.39%.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the primary catalyst. The foldable phone launched globally Friday amid long lines, limited store inventory and reports that preorders are backordered into 2027. Supply-chain reports indicate Apple raised its first-year shipment target by 44%, to roughly 14 million units. The premium product could expand Apple’s addressable market and support revenue growth. Apple fans react as iPhone Duo hits stores
• Positive Sentiment: The launch strengthens Apple’s broader hardware and services roadmap. Analysts are evaluating whether the Duo can drive accessory, software and services revenue, while potential touchscreen Macs, smart-home products and an Apple-Schneider Electric energy-management partnership provide additional growth opportunities. Will Apple take over the smart home
• Positive Sentiment: Apple briefly reclaimed the title of world’s most valuable public company. AAPL approached or surpassed Nvidia’s approximately $5 trillion valuation as Nvidia shares weakened during a broader AI-stock selloff. Investors are treating Apple’s substantial cash generation and lower AI infrastructure spending as a relative safe haven. Apple tops Nvidia in market value
• Neutral Sentiment: The next major test is earnings. Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter results are expected November 2, with investors looking for evidence that iPhone Duo demand, holiday sales and margins justify a stock trading near 40 times earnings. Analysts remain broadly constructive, but the average price target is close to recent trading levels.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risks remain significant. Some early users have reported cracked foldable screens, while reviews cite first-generation glitches, a $2,000 price and limitations involving the camera and apps. These issues could affect returns, customer satisfaction and adoption.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a modest cautionary signal. Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold approximately $815,000 of AAPL shares, following several similar sales. The transaction is small relative to Apple’s size but may reinforce concerns that the stock has become expensive.

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.