40,950 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Bought by Wedmont Private Capital

Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 13.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 342,827 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,950 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 2.8% of Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in Apple were worth $116,491,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Apple by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $182,897,769,000 after acquiring an additional 28,321,085 shares during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at about $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at about $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 23.2% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after purchasing an additional 13,780,080 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $45,615,190.20. This trade represents a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold 284,454 shares of company stock valued at $94,662,594 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $342.94 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $326.53 and a 200 day moving average of $307.21. 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 cap of $5.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Preorders for Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The robust response supports near-term revenue expectations and strengthens the case for Apple’s foldable-device strategy. Apple’s iPhone Duo Demand Soars as Deliveries Stretch Into January 2027
• Positive Sentiment: New product event announced: Apple will host its “Pro and Tell” event on October 28. Analysts expect new Macs and potentially the company’s first touchscreen MacBook, which could provide a catalyst for Mac growth and investor sentiment. Apple announces product launch event for Oct. 28
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating with a $370 price target, while JPMorgan maintained its Overweight rating and $360 target, citing healthy demand trends and longer-term AI potential. Apple Maintained at Buy With Unchanged $370 Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider transactions: CFO Kevan Parekh and insider Ben Borders sold shares to cover tax withholding related to vested equity awards. The sales modestly reduced their holdings but do not appear to represent discretionary bearish bets.
• Negative Sentiment: Demand concerns and valuation risk: A KeyBanc survey indicated weaker consumer intentions to upgrade iPhones over the next year, despite better early iPhone 18 interest. With AAPL trading near its 52-week high at a premium earnings multiple, disappointment in future iPhone growth could pressure the stock. Apple Stock Escaped the AI Downturn
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory pressure: UK regulators are reportedly preparing to push Apple to allow alternative default payment services on iPhones, potentially weakening Apple Pay’s ecosystem advantages and services revenue.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, October 1st. KeyCorp reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. CICC Research raised their target price on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.62.

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.