Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by West Branch Capital LLC

West Branch Capital LLC cut its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 148,498 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,957 shares during the period. Apple makes up 10.0% of West Branch Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. West Branch Capital LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $42,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, June 18th. DZ Bank cut Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Phillip Securities downgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.53.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s September 9 product event will be the first major launch under incoming CEO John Ternus. Investors expect the iPhone 18 lineup, Apple Watch updates and potentially Apple’s first foldable iPhone. IDC reportedly expects more than 10 million foldable iPhone shipments in the first year, creating a potential new growth category. Apple sets Sept. 9 date for next iPhone launch event
• Positive Sentiment: New Mac mini and Mac Studio models using M6 and M5 Ultra chips are being positioned for demanding AI workloads. Improved on-device AI performance could support Mac upgrades and strengthen Apple’s appeal among developers, potentially expanding hardware and services revenue. Apple’s AI Mac Push Could Spark New Opportunities
• Positive Sentiment: Recent iPhone momentum remains constructive: global shipments reportedly rose 13% in the second quarter, aided by iPhone 17 demand and stable pricing. Apple’s latest earnings beat and strong profitability also provide fundamental support for the stock. iPhone Buyers Rush in Before Potential Apple Price Increases
• Neutral Sentiment: The CEO transition is now an immediate catalyst and risk. Ternus’s product-design background may reassure investors, but the rapid succession from leadership change to a major iPhone launch leaves little time to establish credibility.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple is cutting roughly 147–150 positions across Siri, machine-learning and Vision Pro teams while reorganizing around AI. Management may view the reductions as strategic pruning, but investors could interpret them as evidence that Apple’s AI effort and Siri reliability remain behind expectations. Apple’s rare Bay Area layoffs hit Vision Pro and Siri teams amid AI shake-up
• Negative Sentiment: Apple’s valuation leaves less room for disappointment, with a reported price-to-earnings ratio above 36. Analysts and commentators continue to question whether AI growth and future products justify the premium after the stock’s substantial rally.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares worth approximately $447,000, reducing her direct holdings by 3.72%. The transaction is small relative to Apple’s market capitalization and may be routine, but insider selling can weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC Form 4 filing

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the firm’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 value of $447,457.05. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 37,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,576,357.55. This trade represents a 3.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,433 shares of company stock valued at $1,367,024. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $314.58 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.59 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $311.80 and a 200-day moving average of $288.21. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $225.95 and a one year high of $344.57. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

About Apple

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.