Apple Inc. $AAPL Holdings Reduced by Lincoln Capital Corp

Lincoln Capital Corp decreased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 46,923 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,796 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 5.1% of Lincoln Capital Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Lincoln Capital Corp’s holdings in Apple were worth $15,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,443,242,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $13,658,359,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $10,588,946,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge
• Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $348.22 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $348.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $328.91 and a 200-day moving average of $309.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 12.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. Loop Capital cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $370.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 target price on Apple and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Timothy Cook sold 191,753 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the transaction, the insider owned 3,264,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. This trade represents a 5.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.