Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Increased by Stokes Capital Advisors LLC

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 25.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 57,932 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,885 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 4.3% of Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $18,584,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $182,897,769,000 after purchasing an additional 28,321,085 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Apple by 23.2% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after buying an additional 13,780,080 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $339.50 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $327.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $307.80. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $348.15.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. Apple’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Evercore set a $380.00 price objective on Apple and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $370.00 to $330.00 in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total value of $442,112.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 38,288 shares in the company, valued at $13,224,675.20. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total value of $8,460,671.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 284,454 shares of company stock valued at $94,662,594. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone reportedly generated extraordinary preorders, with delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The response supports premium pricing and suggests the new product could become a meaningful growth catalyst. Apple’s $1,999 foldable phone is set to hit stores Friday
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Mac launch: Apple scheduled its “Pro and Tell” event for October 28, where analysts expect new Macs and potentially the company’s first touchscreen MacBook. The event could provide a near-term catalyst and demonstrate momentum under CEO John Ternus. Apple announces product launch event for Oct. 28
• Positive Sentiment: Supply-chain and ecosystem investments: Apple committed up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier to support iPhone production. Apple Wallet car-key support is also expanding to select General Motors vehicles, strengthening the company’s hardware and services ecosystem. Apple commits up to $100 million for U.S. titanium
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst outlook: Bank of America and JPMorgan maintained bullish ratings, citing iPhone Duo demand and long-term AI potential, while other analysts have become more cautious.
• Negative Sentiment: Downgrades and demand concerns: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold and cut its price target from $370 to $330, citing risks that iPhone shipments may not recover as expected. KeyBanc also flagged weaker upgrade intentions among consumers. Apple gets a downgrade from Loop Capital on fears of slow iPhone sales
• Negative Sentiment: Margin and valuation risk: UBS expects higher memory and component costs to pressure gross margins while iPhone growth slows. With Apple trading at a premium earnings multiple, investors may require stronger earnings or a new catalyst to support further gains. Apple faces gross margin pressure as UBS flags slowing iPhone growth

Apple Company Profile

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.