Stokes Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 25.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,932 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 11,885 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 4.3% of Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $18,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirador Capital Partners LP grew its position in Apple by 1.2% during the third quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 125,280 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $41,721,000 after purchasing an additional 1,481 shares in the last quarter. Williams & Novak Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Williams & Novak Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,123 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $4,703,000 after acquiring an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Biltmore Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Biltmore Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,901 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,965,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 96,557 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $32,870,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balefire LLC boosted its position in Apple by 42.7% during the third quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 40,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,464,000 after purchasing an additional 12,253 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is 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: 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
Insider Transactions at Apple
In other news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. 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, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,832,236.98. This represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 284,454 shares of company stock worth $94,662,594 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Citic Securities raised their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.
View Our Latest Research Report on Apple
Apple Trading Down 1.0%
AAPL stock opened at $339.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $327.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.80. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.42 and a fifty-two week high of $348.15.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for 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 earned $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Apple Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 12.39%.
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.
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