Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 221,999 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 11,286 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 3.1% of Kovack Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $64,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Evansbrook LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. JMG Financial Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Apple by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. raised its holdings in Apple by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,520,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 2.0% during the first quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $515,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $380.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price target on Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.61.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $324.96 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $225.95 and a 52 week high of $344.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $289.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $4.74 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO transition initially welcomed: John Ternus officially became CEO on Sept. 1 after 25 years at Apple, while Tim Cook remains executive chairman. Investors view Ternus’s hardware expertise as providing continuity, and Apple shares rose sharply during his first day in the role. Apple shares rise as John Ternus takes over as CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Constructive analyst outlook: Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its overweight rating and set a $360 price target, while Bank of America reiterated Buy with a $380 target. Analysts see potential for Apple to strengthen its position in the AI era through hardware, services and a new product cycle.
• Positive Sentiment: Foldable iPhone could add significant revenue: Morgan Stanley estimates Apple’s anticipated foldable iPhone could contribute approximately $14 billion in December-quarter revenue, creating a potential new growth engine. Apple foldable iPhone revenue estimate
• Neutral Sentiment: Sept. 9 launch is the key near-term catalyst: Wall Street considers the upcoming iPhone event an important test of pricing power, consumer demand, AI capabilities and whether Apple can sustain growth beyond its mature smartphone franchise. Ternus has described the launch as “phenomenal.” Why the next iPhone launch matters
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership incentives align with shareholders: Ternus’s approximately $55 million–$58 million compensation package is heavily tied to Apple’s performance relative to the S&P 500. Cook will receive about $47 million as executive chairman, supporting continuity but underscoring his continued influence.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and growth concerns remain: DA Davidson maintained a Neutral rating with a $270 target, and Rosenblatt kept Neutral despite raising its target to $303. Analysts warn that Apple may need the foldable iPhone and stronger AI execution to avoid a revenue slowdown next year, while its premium valuation leaves limited room for disappointment.
• Negative Sentiment: AI, memory costs and legal risks weigh on sentiment: Apple trails some rivals in AI, faces elevated memory-chip costs that could pressure margins, and is engaged in a contentious trade-secrets lawsuit with OpenAI. OpenAI denies Apple’s allegations, increasing uncertainty around the dispute.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.95, for a total transaction of $447,457.05. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 37,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,576,357.55. This trade represents a 3.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 4,433 shares of company stock worth $1,367,024 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple’s principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.