Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock: Forbes J M & Co. LLP Raises Holdings

Forbes J M & Co. LLP increased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 252,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 3,715 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 6.0% of Forbes J M & Co. LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Forbes J M & Co. LLP’s holdings in Apple were worth $83,823,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avenir Tech Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Ironwood Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Apple by 822.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 260,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $118,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,051,831.95. The trade was a 7.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $343.36, for a total transaction of $823,720.64. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 32,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,123,490.56. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 289,252 shares of company stock valued at $96,301,063 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of AAPL opened at $344.63 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $333.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $296.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.42 and a 1-year high of $351.73.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Phillip Securities increased their target price on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Citic Securities upped their price target on Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a report on Thursday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.49.

Trending Headlines about 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

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.