Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock: Perpetual Ltd Lowers Position

Perpetual Ltd cut its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 9.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,637 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 10,271 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in Apple were worth $32,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Apple by 0.3% in the second quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,351,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,054,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. JMG Financial Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Apple by 0.7% in the first quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Advocate Investing Services LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the second quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC now owns 7,847 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,271,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $343.99 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $328.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $308.42. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.42 and a 1-year high of $348.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.45, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total transaction of $442,112.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,224,675.20. This trade represents a 3.23% 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. Insiders sold 284,454 shares of company stock worth $94,662,594 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price target on Apple and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, October 1st. China Renaissance downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.12.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple said only limited quantities of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo will be available for walk-in customers when it launches October 23. Online orders reportedly sold out within minutes, with some delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The demand signals support premium pricing and could make the new product a meaningful revenue catalyst. Apple will have limited iPhone Duo units available in stores
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalyst: Apple’s October 28 event is expected to feature new Pro Macs, potentially including a touchscreen MacBook Pro and M6-powered systems. A successful launch could strengthen expectations for renewed Mac growth and broaden Apple’s hardware lineup. Apple product event scheduled for October 28
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion and ecosystem support: Apple’s India business reportedly delivered 31% revenue growth and 66% profit growth in fiscal 2026. Separately, Apple Wallet car-key support is expanding to selected General Motors vehicles, extending the reach of Apple’s services ecosystem.
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply-chain investment: Apple plans to commit up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier over three years. The move may improve domestic sourcing and support iPhone Duo production, but it also highlights manufacturing constraints and does not immediately change earnings expectations. Apple commits to U.S. titanium manufacturing
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: Two Apple insiders sold shares, with at least one transaction identified as covering tax withholding on vested equity awards. The sales are relatively small and do not clearly indicate weakening confidence.
• Negative Sentiment: Downgrade and valuation concerns: Loop Capital cut AAPL to Hold and lowered its price target to $330, citing weaker iPhone shipment expectations. UBS also warned that rising memory and component costs could pressure gross margins ahead of the November 2 earnings report. With Apple trading at roughly 39 times earnings and near its annual high, investors may demand stronger growth to justify the premium valuation. Loop Capital downgrades Apple on iPhone concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: UK competition regulators are proposing easier access for rival contactless payment services on the iPhone, which could increase competition for Apple Pay and modestly weaken the services ecosystem.

About Apple

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.