<div id="readability-page-1">CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lifted its stake in AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP - Free Report) by 356.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,909 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,271 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA's holdings in AppLovin were worth $2,090,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.<ul><li>MarketBeat Week in Review – 12/15 - 12/19</li></ul>Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in AppLovin in the 3rd quarter valued at $346,000. Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of AppLovin by 1,560.5% during the third quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 83,491 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,992,000 after acquiring an additional 78,463 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AppLovin by 7.9% during the third quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 764 shares of the company's stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC bought a new position in AppLovin in the third quarter valued at about $399,000. Finally, Bartlett &amp; CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in AppLovin by 19.6% in the third quarter. Bartlett &amp; CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 134 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.85% of the company's stock. <h2>AppLovin News Roundup</h2>Here are the key news stories impacting AppLovin this week:<ul> <li>Positive Sentiment: Analysts and margin commentary — Q3 margin strength is being highlighted as a driver of accelerating profitability and operating leverage, supporting higher earnings expectations and reinforcing the bull case. AppLovin's Margin Engine Fuels its Accelerating Momentum</li> <li>Positive Sentiment: Bullish coverage and &#34;case against the shorts&#34; narrative — MarketBeat and other outlets argue fundamentals, rising analyst targets and heavy short interest could produce continued upside or a short squeeze if results keep coming in strong. Don’t Bet Against AppLovin: The Case Against the Shorts</li> <li>Positive Sentiment: Price-target upgrades and broker notes — Recent upgrades/raised targets (including Benchmark/Wedbush commentary about AppLovin's ad leadership) add momentum and give traders a reason to buy into the narrative. AppLovin Seen as Dominant in Mobile Ads as Wedbush Highlights Unity's Turnaround</li> <li>Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed — An executive sold ~7,609 shares at ~$657 on Dec 18 (2.67% reduction in her holding). The size is material in $ terms but not a major position shift; investors often view routine insider sales as neutral unless part of a pattern. SEC Filing — Insider Sale</li> <li>Neutral Sentiment: Options market interest — Elevated options activity suggests institutional players are positioning for further movement, but flow can indicate both speculative and hedging behavior. AppLovin's Options: A Look at What the Big Money is Thinking</li> <li>Negative Sentiment: High valuation and public criticism — Prominent commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) have flagged APP's rich multiple and suggested trimming exposure after a big run, which can pressure sentiment among retail and tactical traders. Jim Cramer on AppLovin: “I’m Not Lovin’ as Much”</li> <li>Negative Sentiment: Legal and short-seller overhang — Recent reporting and price‑target downdrafts earlier in the year tied to a class‑action suit and short‑seller reports remain a tail‑risk; those issues have driven past volatility and could produce downside if new negative news emerges. AppLovin Price Prediction and Forecast</li> </ul><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><ul><li>Don’t Bet Against AppLovin: The Case Against the Shorts</li></ul>Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a &#34;buy (b-)&#34; rating on shares of AppLovin in a report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. lifted their price target on shares of AppLovin from $425.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of AppLovin from $580.00 to $860.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of AppLovin from $800.00 to $860.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of AppLovin from $575.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average target price of $695.90.Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on AppLovin<h2>AppLovin Stock Performance</h2><ul><li>Is Appian The AI Play Investors Have Completely Missed?</li></ul>Shares of AppLovin stock opened at $721.37 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $617.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $512.02. The company has a current ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. The company has a market capitalization of $243.79 billion, a PE ratio of 87.55, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 2.51. AppLovin Corporation has a 12 month low of $200.50 and a 12 month high of $745.61. AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.11. AppLovin had a return on equity of 258.49% and a net margin of 51.27%.The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 68.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that AppLovin Corporation will post 6.87 EPS for the current year. <h2>Insider Activity at AppLovin</h2>In other AppLovin news, CTO Vasily Shikin sold 27,143 shares of AppLovin stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.38, for a total value of $14,803,249.34. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 3,323,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,812,669,143.78. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Arash Adam Foroughi sold 30,888 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $520.29, for a total transaction of $16,070,717.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,553,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,328,384,136.69. This represents a 1.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 340,336 shares of company stock worth $200,062,623. 13.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders. <h2>AppLovin Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)AppLovin Corporation is a Palo Alto–based mobile technology company that provides software and services to help app developers grow and monetize their businesses. The company operates a data-driven advertising and marketing platform that connects app publishers and advertisers, delivering tools for user acquisition, monetization, analytics and creative optimization. AppLovin's technology is integrated into a broad set of mobile applications through software development kits (SDKs) and ad products designed to maximize revenue and engagement for developers. Key components of AppLovin's offering include an ad mediation and exchange platform that enables publishers to manage and monetize inventory across multiple demand sources, and a user-acquisition platform that helps advertisers target and scale campaigns.<h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than AppLovin</li><li>Insider Buying Explained: What Investors Need to Know</li><li>These 3 Banks Are Rallying Into Year-End, But Will It Continue?</li><li>How to invest in marijuana stocks in 7 steps </li><li>3 Surging Stocks Just Got the Ultimate Stamp of Approval From the S&amp;P 500</li><li>Procter &amp; Gamble NYSE: PG Pulls Back After Shaky Guidance</li><li>This ETF Caught a Major Tailwind After the Fed’s Rate Cut</li></ul><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9QVBQ?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9QVBQ"/>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.<h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in AppLovin Right Now?</h2>Before you consider AppLovin, you'll want to hear this.MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and AppLovin wasn't on the list.While AppLovin currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.View The Five Stocks Here </div>

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA increased its stake in AppLovin Corporation by 356% in Q3, owning shares worth $2.09 million. Analysts highlight AppLovin's Q3 margin strength, bullish sentiment, and price-target upgrades. Insider sales and options market interest are noted, alongside concerns over high valuation and legal issues. Several analysts have issued buy ratings, with price targets ranging from $650 to $860.

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Has $2.09 Million Stake in AppLovin Corporation $APP