Rep. C. Scott Franklin Sells Off Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock

Representative C. Scott Franklin (Republican-Florida) recently sold shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). In a filing disclosed on September 17th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Apple stock on August 20th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FIDELITY ROTH IRA” account.

Representative C. Scott Franklin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Accenture (NYSE:ACN) on 8/26/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) on 8/20/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) on 8/20/2026.

Apple Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of AAPL opened at $336.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.91 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $320.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $294.69. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $240.21 and a 1 year high of $344.57.

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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA grew its position in shares of Apple by 19.6% in the 2nd quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 36,623 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $10,597,000 after buying an additional 5,989 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 78.4% during the second quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 10,633 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,077,000 after acquiring an additional 4,674 shares in the last quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 29.2% during the second quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 600,912 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $177,300,000 after acquiring an additional 135,884 shares in the last quarter. Revere Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Apple by 5.1% in the second quarter. Revere Asset Management Inc now owns 1,443 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $418,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Arete Research lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $305.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Apple from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.14.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI raised its Apple price target to $380 from $365 and maintained an outperform view. A survey of roughly 4,000 consumers indicated a potentially stronger-than-expected iPhone upgrade cycle and a higher average selling price. iPhone 18 Pro Hits Stores Today
• Positive Sentiment: iPhone 18 Pro sales are supported by carrier trade-in promotions. Bank of America said incentives can offset the $100 price increase, reducing the risk that higher prices will weaken demand. Apple’s iPhone 18 Lineup Keeps Bank of America Bullish
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s ecosystem is gaining additional reach. General Motors plans to restore Apple CarPlay after consumer backlash, while Apple is reportedly preparing an Apple Pay launch in India with Axis Bank. These developments could support services engagement and ecosystem adoption. GM Is Re-downloading Apple CarPlay
• Neutral Sentiment: Initial iPhone 18 Pro demand indicators are mixed. Quick-commerce shortages in India suggest strong localized demand, but UBS cited muted wait times in several major markets. Investors are also assessing whether customers may delay purchases for Apple’s roughly $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo. Apple iPhone 18 Seeing Muted Initial Wait Times
• Negative Sentiment: Risks include premium pricing, valuation and regulatory pressure. Analysts warn that expensive devices could limit adoption in price-sensitive markets such as India. More than 1,600 Italian Apple store employees also struck on launch day, while Apple continues to challenge a potential UK encryption backdoor order and faces European legal scrutiny. Italian Apple Store Employees Strike

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,632 shares of company stock worth $2,719,955. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Representative Franklin

Scott Franklin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Franklin (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Scott Franklin was born in Thomaston, Georgia. Franklin graduated from Lakeland High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1986 to 2000 and the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2000 to 2012.

Franklin earned a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994. Franklin’s career experience includes owning an insurance agency and working as a naval aviator with the U.S. Navy.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company’s ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.