Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Acquired by Martin Capital Advisors LLP

Martin Capital Advisors LLP grew its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,797 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 2,948 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 24.7% of Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s holdings in Apple were worth $46,367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Prospect Hill Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth about $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth about $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth about $16,064,000. Finally, Gouws Capital LLC grew 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 valued at $12,490,000 after acquiring an additional 21,676 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Demand for Apple’s first foldable iPhone Duo appears exceptionally strong, with delivery estimates extending into January. Apple has reportedly asked suppliers to increase production by 30%, suggesting robust consumer interest and potential for a sizable upgrade cycle. Apple’s iPhone Duo Buyers Face a Wait That Could Stretch Into January
• Positive Sentiment: Apple introduced a redesigned iPad mini beginning at $699, featuring an OLED display, A20 Pro chip, improved AI performance, water resistance and Wi-Fi 7. The launch broadens Apple’s higher-end hardware lineup ahead of the holiday season. Apple Unveils $699 OLED iPad Mini
• Positive Sentiment: Apple expanded Siri’s AI language support, including Japanese, indicating continued progress in its artificial-intelligence rollout and global product integration. Apple Expands Siri AI Languages
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter results expected November 2. Analysts anticipate continued iPhone, Mac and Services growth, but the stock’s premium valuation leaves limited room for an earnings or outlook disappointment. Why Buying Apple Stock Before Q4 Earnings Could Be Risky
• Negative Sentiment: Users have reported cracks and bright lines near the hinge on some $1,999 iPhone Duo units. Apple acknowledged the issue and said affected devices would be replaced under AppleCare, but the defect creates reputational, warranty-cost and execution risks for an important new product. Apple Responds to Reports of Broken iPhone Duo Screens
• Negative Sentiment: The new iPad mini’s higher starting price may limit demand, while broader concerns about leadership succession, AI execution and rising component costs are adding to investor caution ahead of earnings. Apple Earnings Expected to Grow

Apple Stock Down 1.1%

AAPL stock opened at $343.91 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $329.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $294.25. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $351.73. The company has a market cap of $5.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.44, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.27 dividend. 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 (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AAPL. KeyCorp restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Timothy Cook sold 191,753 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the transaction, the insider owned 3,264,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,086,837,377.28. The trade was a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.