Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Position Lifted by China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 309,419 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,341 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 5.3% of China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Apple were worth $101,927,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Avenir Tech Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth $29,000. Ironwood Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth about $30,000. ABS Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter valued at about $376,168,000. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY bought a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $118,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.75, for a total value of $781,474.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 29,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,771,522.75. This trade represents a 7.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their position. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 291,651 shares of company stock valued at $97,082,537. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Apple Stock Down 0.5%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $342.37 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $336.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $298.50. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $355.38. The company has a market capitalization of $5.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.17, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $114.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.40 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 128.88% and a net margin of 27.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 9.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple beat fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, with solid iPhone and Mac demand. Apple also says more apps optimized for its new foldable iPhone are coming, potentially improving the product’s appeal. Apple earnings beat
• Positive Sentiment: Apple has held up better than many chipmakers amid the AI-stock sell-off, and Bernstein raised its price target to $380 while maintaining a Buy rating. This relative strength may support investor sentiment. Apple holds up amid market weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is reportedly seeking about $7.5 billion through a bond offering. The financing provides flexibility, though the reports do not specify its use. The company is also limiting some employees’ AI-tool budgets, a move that could help control costs but raises questions about its internal AI investment. Apple bond sale report
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned of unprecedented memory-chip costs and supply constraints heading into the holiday quarter, putting gross margins at risk despite healthy demand. Investors are also weighing slower Services growth and Apple’s premium valuation. Memory costs and supply constraints

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Apple from $360.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price target on Apple and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price objective on Apple from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.74.

Apple 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.