14,094 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Purchased by Verus Wealth Management LLC

Verus Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 300.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,780 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 14,094 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 3.9% of Verus Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Verus Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $6,210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avenir Tech Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth $30,000. ABS Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth $376,168,000. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth $118,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth $161,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on AAPL. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Piper Sandler began coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $303.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.12.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $348.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $328.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.07. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $348.36. The stock has a market cap 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 is presently 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.05, for a total value of $480,309.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,051,831.95. The trade was a 7.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about 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.

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.