Fluent Financial LLC Sells 40,324 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Fluent Financial LLC lowered its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 93.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,869 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 40,324 shares during the period. Fluent Financial LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $731,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capstone Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Apple by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,174,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 18,011 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,695,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Apple by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Red Tortoise LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.9% during the second quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 5,717 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SigFig Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 2.8% in the second quarter. SigFig Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,830 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $273.40 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $272.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $242.33. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.21 and a 12-month high of $288.62. The firm has a market cap of $4.04 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.60, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.65 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 13.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on AAPL. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $283.36 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Argus set a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Moffett Nathanson raised Apple from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Wedbush set a $350.00 price target on Apple and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.92.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 129,963 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.81, for a total value of $33,375,798.03. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $842,412,558.95. This trade represents a 3.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 43,013 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.39, for a total transaction of $11,071,116.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,181,866.93. The trade was a 23.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,052 shares of company stock valued at $58,604,588. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Federal judge denied a bid to block U.S. imports of certain Apple Watch models in a patent dispute, letting Apple continue shipments that protect near-term wearables sales and supply continuity. Apple (AAPL) Cleared to Keep Importing Watch Models amid Patent Dispute
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s reports a surprise jump in China’s imports of foreign-branded mobile phones (iPhone exposure), which supports revenue upside and helps offset macro worries in Apple’s largest cyclical market. Apple Stock Ticks Up After a Surprise From China—and a Legal Win
• Positive Sentiment: High consumer-product satisfaction and continued endorsement from prominent investors/commentators (Jim Cramer highlighted Apple’s customer satisfaction edge), which supports brand resilience and premium pricing. Apple (AAPL)’s the Only One That Maintains High Consumer Product Satisfaction, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Apple publicly released a new AI model and product-level AI improvements (including live translation features), signaling product-driving AI steps rather than a race to ship unpolished tools — a potential catalyst for Services and device differentiation. Apple Just Released a New AI Model. Should You Buy AAPL Stock Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and MarketBeat commentary point to steady upgrades and a material upside case into 2026 as Apple leverages iPhone strength and gradual AI rollouts. Apple: The AI Outlier (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: User reviews of features like AirPods live translation (NYT) show incremental product wins that improve the ecosystem but are unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. How Well Does Apple’s Live Translation Work for Japanese? I Tested It in Tokyo.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting billionaires buying other AI stocks (possible future competitors or new leaders) is drawing headlines but doesn’t directly change Apple’s near-term fundamentals. Billionaires Are Buying an AI Stock That Could Be the Apple of the 2030s
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing narrative that Apple is a latecomer in generative AI creates valuation risk if investors re-rate tech leaders based on AI leadership; that debate may cap multiple expansion until clearer, product-level wins are delivered. Apple Doesn’t Need A Stronger AI Portfolio (Seeking Alpha)

Apple 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.