Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock: Insider Timothy Cook Sells 191,753 Shares

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) insider Timothy Cook sold 191,753 shares of Apple 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,086,837,377.28. This trade represents a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Apple Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of AAPL traded down $0.80 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $332.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 34,340,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,072,559. The company has a 50 day moving average of $322.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $300.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $4.86 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.42 and a 1-year high of $345.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders 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 12.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price target on Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Moffett Nathanson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $304.00 price target (up from $270.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.02.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s planned Siri overhaul could help restore confidence in its artificial-intelligence strategy. Strong fiscal third-quarter results—including $109.4 billion in revenue, 16% year-over-year growth and 29% EPS growth—provide a solid financial foundation while investors await evidence that AI features can accelerate device upgrades and Services revenue. Will Siri Overhaul Help Apple Restore Its AI Credibility?
• Positive Sentiment: Counterpoint Research expects roughly 6 million units of Apple’s premium iPhone Duo to be sold during the late-October launch window. At a reported starting price of $1,999, the device could represent a meaningful incremental hardware opportunity, although the sales forecast is not large enough by itself to materially change the investment case. Analyst Sees 6 Million iPhone Duo Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Apple continues to be positioned in expanding markets such as human-computer interaction, context-aware computing and visual computing, including AI, spatial computing and augmented reality. These reports highlight long-term ecosystem opportunities, though they do not represent new company guidance or near-term revenue estimates. Human-Computer Interaction Market Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is tightening Mac permissions so users receive clearer warnings when AI agents request access to device data. The move reinforces Apple’s privacy advantage and could support consumer trust, but stricter controls may also make it harder for third-party AI agents to deliver advanced functionality. Apple Makes It Tougher for AI Agents to Access Macs
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary questioning Apple’s ability to monetize AI highlights a key investor concern: the company is spending heavily on AI, while rivals are more visibly turning the technology into revenue. That concern is especially relevant because AAPL trades at a premium valuation and needs continued earnings growth to justify it. Who’s Worse at AI Monetization, Tesla or Apple?
• Negative Sentiment: A forecast that Microsoft could become more valuable than Apple by the end of 2027 reflects investor doubts about Apple’s long-term growth leadership, particularly relative to Microsoft’s artificial-intelligence opportunity. Microsoft Could Be More Valuable Than Apple

Institutional Trading of Apple

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

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets 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 software platforms, including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and visionOS.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ and iCloud.