Wedbush Securities Inc. Decreases Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Wedbush Securities Inc. cut its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 968,308 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 19,133 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 7.2% of Wedbush Securities Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $280,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 6,171.1% in the 2nd quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 83,343 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $24,116,000 after acquiring an additional 82,014 shares in the last quarter. Spinnaker Trust boosted its position in shares of Apple by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Spinnaker Trust now owns 228,303 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $66,062,000 after acquiring an additional 5,123 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 882,325 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $255,310,000 after purchasing an additional 3,851 shares in the last quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department increased its position in shares of Apple by 3.6% in the second quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 107,001 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $30,962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,735 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its position in shares of Apple by 7.4% in the second quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 730,545 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $211,391,000 after purchasing an additional 50,181 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Apple from $364.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $276.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Seaport Research Partners cut Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, KGI Securities downgraded Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.53.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $311.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.54 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.70, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $310.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $286.89. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.78 and a fifty-two week high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its 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. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.49, for a total value of $442,478.11. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,890,023.32. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,994 shares of company stock valued at $919,567. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as a defensive Big Tech holding because it relies less on massive AI infrastructure spending than peers. Analysts also describe the company as an underappreciated AI beneficiary, supporting demand for the stock during technology-sector volatility. Apple Holds Firm as Investors Seek Big Tech’s Defensive Outlier
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalysts—including a potential foldable iPhone, camera-equipped AI AirPods targeted for 2027, new Apple silicon and expanded Siri AI capabilities—could support a stronger product cycle. One analyst estimates foldable iPhone sales could reach 14 million units by 2027. Apple’s Foldable iPhone Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating ahead of incoming CEO John Ternus’s September 1 transition, while Redburn upgraded Apple. The bullish case centers on renewed innovation and stronger AI investment under new leadership. Apple Must Relearn How to Surprise Under New CEO Ternus
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Samsung are gaining share in India as higher chip costs pressure lower-priced Chinese smartphone competitors, potentially improving Apple’s premium-market opportunity. Chip Squeeze Hits Chinese Smartphones in India
• Neutral Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares for approximately $442,000, reducing her holdings by 3.59%. The transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing but is relatively small compared with her remaining stake.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Apple has become predictable and dependent on incremental improvements. The CEO transition creates execution risk, with Ternus expected to decide whether to materially increase spending to compete in AI. Apple Has Gotten Too Predictable
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that App Store commission revenue declined 18%, alongside continuing legal and regulatory challenges, raise questions about the durability of Apple’s high-margin Services growth. Apple’s App Store Commission Revenue Reportedly Drops

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.