Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Lincoln Capital Corp

Lincoln Capital Corp decreased its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,923 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,796 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 5.1% of Lincoln Capital Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Lincoln Capital Corp’s holdings in Apple were worth $15,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. St. Clair Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 11.6% in the third quarter. St. Clair Advisors LLC now owns 86,796 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $28,345,000 after buying an additional 9,025 shares during the last quarter. Thor Investment Management Inc. OH ADV increased its position in shares of Apple by 1.6% during the third quarter. Thor Investment Management Inc. OH ADV now owns 1,912 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $637,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Koesten Hirschmann & Crabtree INC. lifted its stake in Apple by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Koesten Hirschmann & Crabtree INC. now owns 8,921 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,971,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. boosted its position in Apple by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. now owns 8,397 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,797,000 after buying an additional 1,772 shares during the period. Finally, First County Bank CT increased its stake in shares of Apple by 3.8% during the third quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 29,947 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $9,973,000 after buying an additional 1,098 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge
• Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns.

Apple Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $348.22 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $348.36. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $328.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $309.07. The company has a market capitalization of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $303.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Maxim Group upped their target price on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $339.62, for a total transaction of $814,748.38. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 34,795 shares in the company, valued at $11,817,077.90. The trade was a 6.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

About Apple

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.