Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Purchased by NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 15.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 542,787 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 72,305 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 4.2% of NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $182,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Apple by 4.7% in 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 period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in Apple by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $18,547,637,000 after buying an additional 13,780,080 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple said only limited quantities of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo will be available for walk-in customers when it launches October 23. Online orders reportedly sold out within minutes, with some delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The demand signals support premium pricing and could make the new product a meaningful revenue catalyst. Apple will have limited iPhone Duo units available in stores
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalyst: Apple’s October 28 event is expected to feature new Pro Macs, potentially including a touchscreen MacBook Pro and M6-powered systems. A successful launch could strengthen expectations for renewed Mac growth and broaden Apple’s hardware lineup. Apple product event scheduled for October 28
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion and ecosystem support: Apple’s India business reportedly delivered 31% revenue growth and 66% profit growth in fiscal 2026. Separately, Apple Wallet car-key support is expanding to selected General Motors vehicles, extending the reach of Apple’s services ecosystem.
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply-chain investment: Apple plans to commit up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier over three years. The move may improve domestic sourcing and support iPhone Duo production, but it also highlights manufacturing constraints and does not immediately change earnings expectations. Apple commits to U.S. titanium manufacturing
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: Two Apple insiders sold shares, with at least one transaction identified as covering tax withholding on vested equity awards. The sales are relatively small and do not clearly indicate weakening confidence.
• Negative Sentiment: Downgrade and valuation concerns: Loop Capital cut AAPL to Hold and lowered its price target to $330, citing weaker iPhone shipment expectations. UBS also warned that rising memory and component costs could pressure gross margins ahead of the November 2 earnings report. With Apple trading at roughly 39 times earnings and near its annual high, investors may demand stronger growth to justify the premium valuation. Loop Capital downgrades Apple on iPhone concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: UK competition regulators are proposing easier access for rival contactless payment services on the iPhone, which could increase competition for Apple Pay and modestly weaken the services ecosystem.

Apple Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $343.99 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $328.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $308.42. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $348.15. The firm has a market cap of $5.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.05, for a total transaction of $480,309.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,051,831.95. This represents a 7.35% 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. Insiders sold 284,454 shares of company stock valued at $94,662,594 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AAPL. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.12.

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.