SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Sells 5,719 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 464,200 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 5,719 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 3.5% of SBI Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. SBI Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Apple were worth $154,588,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Ironwood Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 822.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 260,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY bought a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $118,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $350.69 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $5.10 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $355.38. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $336.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $299.02.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $114.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.40 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 125.35% and a net margin of 27.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 9.68 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 12th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 12.04%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reported quarterly revenue of $114.48 billion and EPS of $2.10, topping estimates, with double-digit growth in hardware and services. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Apple Intelligence cleared a Chinese regulatory step for use on tablets and laptops, potentially expanding the service’s reach in a major market. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Apple has begun offering $49.99 add-on packs for extra AI usage in Creator Studio, a potential new revenue stream from its AI features. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary points to resilient iPhone demand and Apple’s comparatively restrained AI spending as advantages amid investor concerns about heavy AI investment elsewhere. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple issued $7.5 billion in senior unsecured notes. The financing provides capital but also adds debt; the announcement does not specify a direct operating catalyst. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Reports warn that rising memory-chip costs could pressure margins, while some analysts question whether Apple’s valuation leaves limited room for further gains. Article

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.75, for a total value of $781,474.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 29,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,771,522.75. This trade represents a 7.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. This trade represents a 25.32% 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 290,212 shares of company stock valued at $96,639,685 in the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on AAPL. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Citic Securities upped their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Apple from $270.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $350.00 price target on Apple and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $343.74.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc designs, manufactures and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods, along with operating systems and applications such as iOS, macOS and iPadOS.

The company also offers services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud and Apple Pay. These products and services are integrated across Apple’s devices and are sold to consumers, businesses and institutions around the world.

Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple serves customers globally through online and retail stores, wireless carriers and other resellers.