Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) SVP Sells $15,467,020.38 in Stock

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $336.67 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $4.91 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.61, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $321.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $302.11. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.42 and a twelve month high of $345.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued 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 return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were given 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 yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is 12.39%.

Institutional Trading of Apple

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

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly partnering with LG Electronics to develop a smart-home lineup including a doorbell, smart lock, thermostat and other accessories tied to a new Apple home hub. The initiative could expand the HomeKit ecosystem, create new hardware and services revenue, and intensify competition with Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest. Apple partners with LG on smart-home devices
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s App Store revenue growth reportedly rebounded to 5% in September after a weaker August. Continued Services momentum supports the company’s recurring-revenue profile, though investors are watching whether the improvement proves durable. Apple App Store growth rebounds
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares worth about $8.5 million to cover tax withholding tied to equity vesting. Because the transaction was tax-related rather than described as discretionary selling, it is unlikely to materially change the investment case, though it may create short-term headline pressure. Apple CEO stock sale
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its Apple price target to $355 despite raising revenue forecasts, citing softer iPhone pricing and higher memory-chip costs that could compress gross margins. The target is only modestly above recent trading levels, limiting perceived upside. Morgan Stanley cuts Apple price target
• Negative Sentiment: Several valuation comparisons highlight that investors pay substantially more for each dollar of Apple’s earnings than for Nvidia’s, despite Nvidia’s stronger recent profitability. With AAPL trading at an elevated earnings multiple, the stock may require sustained iPhone, Services and AI growth to justify its premium. Nvidia versus Apple valuation comparison

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AAPL. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, September 21st. China Renaissance downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. BTIG Research began coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Evercore set a $380.00 price target on Apple and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.02.

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.