Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Purchased by S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 18.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 66,220 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 10,326 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 5.1% of S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $21,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Apple by 0.3% in the 2nd 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. Evansbrook LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.7% during the first 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. Advocate Investing Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the second quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC now owns 7,847 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 2.0% during the first quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $515,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $342.00 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $325.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $305.90. The firm has a market cap of $4.99 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.42 and a twelve month high of $348.15.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Meta Platforms are collaborating to let developers run Meta’s large Muse AI model locally on high-end Mac computers. The partnership could strengthen the Mac’s appeal for AI workloads while reducing reliance on cloud computing. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s first foldable iPhone, the 7.6-inch iPhone Duo, begins preorders Friday. A successful launch could open a new premium product category and support revenue growth, although its high price makes demand uncertain. iPhone Duo preorders begin Friday
• Positive Sentiment: Apple recently closed above a $5 trillion market capitalization, reinforcing investor confidence and highlighting the stock’s recent momentum. Reports also indicate Apple Intelligence may finally launch in mainland China in December, expanding the potential user base. Apple tops $5 trillion valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: The China AI rollout is reportedly limited and may exclude the upgraded Siri and Genmoji features, making the launch strategically important but less compelling than a full-featured release. Apple Intelligence in China
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators remain concerned that Apple is spending less on AI than rivals and could fall behind in advanced assistants, while the stock’s elevated valuation leaves less room for execution disappointments. Reported iPhone 18 Pro component-order reductions add to demand concerns. Apple reportedly cuts iPhone 18 orders
• Negative Sentiment: Apple is challenging a $5.7 billion damages ruling in a patent case, while OpenAI alleges that a former employee who joined Apple took confidential information about an unreleased device. Both matters create potential financial and reputational risk. Apple challenges Taction damages ruling
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 Apple shares for approximately $828,000. The transaction is relatively small compared with Apple’s market value, but insider selling can add modest short-term pressure.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total transaction of $8,460,671.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 281,782 shares of company stock valued at $93,740,172. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. KeyCorp reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.39.

Apple Company 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.