Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Trading Down 1.5% – Time to Sell?

17 Dec 2025, 22:58 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) fell 1.5% on Monday . The company traded as low as $272.84 and last traded at $274.11. 49,682,691 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 9% from the average session volume of 54,731,160 shares. The stock had previously closed at $278.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $325.00 price target on Apple in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday. HSBC set a $220.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Apple to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.92.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Apple

Apple Stock Down 1.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $268.95 and its 200-day moving average is $238.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The firm had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total transaction of $1,017,654.96. Following the transaction, the insider owned 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,030.54. This represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 47,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.79, for a total transaction of $12,101,228.75. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 179,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,005,982.82. The trade was a 20.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,052 shares of company stock valued at $58,604,588. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Ryan Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC grew its holdings in Apple by 333.3% during the second quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Apple

(Get Free Report)

Apple Inc designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. The company offers iPhone, a line of smartphones; Mac, a line of personal computers; iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets; and wearables, home, and accessories comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, and HomePod.