MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC Sells 3,896 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC reduced its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 272,901 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,896 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 17.1% of MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $90,881,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its stake 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 worth $182,897,769,000 after purchasing an additional 28,321,085 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in shares of 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. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore set a $380.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Seaport Research Partners lowered shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $343.91 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $351.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $329.47 and a 200-day moving average of $294.25.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total transaction of $8,460,671.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Timothy D. Cook sold 191,753 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. The trade was a 5.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Demand for Apple’s first foldable iPhone Duo appears exceptionally strong, with delivery estimates extending into January. Apple has reportedly asked suppliers to increase production by 30%, suggesting robust consumer interest and potential for a sizable upgrade cycle. Apple’s iPhone Duo Buyers Face a Wait That Could Stretch Into January
• Positive Sentiment: Apple introduced a redesigned iPad mini beginning at $699, featuring an OLED display, A20 Pro chip, improved AI performance, water resistance and Wi-Fi 7. The launch broadens Apple’s higher-end hardware lineup ahead of the holiday season. Apple Unveils $699 OLED iPad Mini
• Positive Sentiment: Apple expanded Siri’s AI language support, including Japanese, indicating continued progress in its artificial-intelligence rollout and global product integration. Apple Expands Siri AI Languages
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter results expected November 2. Analysts anticipate continued iPhone, Mac and Services growth, but the stock’s premium valuation leaves limited room for an earnings or outlook disappointment. Why Buying Apple Stock Before Q4 Earnings Could Be Risky
• Negative Sentiment: Users have reported cracks and bright lines near the hinge on some $1,999 iPhone Duo units. Apple acknowledged the issue and said affected devices would be replaced under AppleCare, but the defect creates reputational, warranty-cost and execution risks for an important new product. Apple Responds to Reports of Broken iPhone Duo Screens
• Negative Sentiment: The new iPad mini’s higher starting price may limit demand, while broader concerns about leadership succession, AI execution and rising component costs are adding to investor caution ahead of earnings. Apple Earnings Expected to Grow

Apple 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.