Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by Snider Financial Group

Snider Financial Group lifted its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 69.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 36,277 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,867 shares during the period. Apple comprises 2.8% of Snider Financial Group’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Snider Financial Group’s holdings in Apple were worth $11,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Prospect Hill Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $16,064,000. Finally, Gouws Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 136.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gouws Capital LLC now owns 37,504 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,490,000 after purchasing an additional 21,676 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL stock opened at $344.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.52, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.42 and a twelve month high of $351.73. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $333.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $296.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,051,831.95. This represents a 7.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 289,252 shares of company stock worth $96,301,063 over the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AAPL. Loop Capital lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $370.00 to $330.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. DZ Bank downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Phillip Securities upped their price objective on Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.49.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple acquired Ascension Labs, which operates as Ascend.io, gaining access to agentic artificial-intelligence talent and intellectual property. The deal supports Apple’s effort to strengthen its AI capabilities, although financial terms were not disclosed. Apple Acquires AI Firm Ascend.io Talent and Patents
• Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators remain supportive: the foldable iPhone Duo reportedly sold out quickly, orders are backed up, and Apple is positioned to benefit from strong iPhone, Mac and Services demand. Analysts including Bank of America and Goldman Sachs remain constructive, with BofA reiterating a Buy rating and a $370 price target. Analyst Reiterates Buy on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: The first touchscreen MacBook Pro, equipped with OLED displays and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, expands Apple’s premium hardware lineup and could support a new product-cycle catalyst. Apple Shows First Touchscreen Laptops
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s earnings report is the immediate focus. Investors will look for evidence that revenue growth, Services momentum and AI investments can offset rising component costs and potentially slower holiday growth. Options activity suggests substantial volatility around the release. Apple November 2 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: AI-related demand has sharply increased flash-memory prices, raising concerns that Apple’s gross margin will come under pressure. Qualcomm also indicated that Apple-related revenue is declining faster than previously expected, reinforcing concerns about the pace of future iPhone growth. AI Has Made Flash Memory More Expensive
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 40 times earnings and near its yearly high, Apple has limited room for an earnings or guidance disappointment. A senior vice president’s repeated stock sales and a South Korean fine related to app-market practices add modest additional caution. Apple Insider Selling

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.