Apple Inc. $AAPL Position Raised by Sovran Advisors LLC

Sovran Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 101,559 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 17,335 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 2.4% of Sovran Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Sovran Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $27,563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First National Bank of Hutchinson lifted its position in Apple by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,845,000 after buying an additional 6,982 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,544,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $134,554,000 after acquiring an additional 69,207 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $16,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $12,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $276.47 price target on shares of Apple and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $239.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 target price (up previously from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, CLSA lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.13.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $266.18 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $264.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $258.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $3.91 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The firm had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.15%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple will move some Mac Mini production from Asia to a Foxconn facility in Houston and expand U.S. assembly capacity — a step toward reshoring that reduces geopolitical/supply risk and supports business continuity (production expected to begin later this year). Apple To Move Part Of Mac Mini Production To Texas, Expand Houston Facility
• Positive Sentiment: Broader push to onshore chip and assembly work: WSJ/Reuters coverage shows Apple spearheading U.S. chip and supplier buildouts — this improves long-term supply security for Apple silicon but implies higher capex and longer payback. Investors see this as strategic insurance versus concentration in Asia. Apple Plans to Manufacture Mac Mini in Houston
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product event (March 4) is expected to include multiple launches — reports cite iPhone 17E, lower?priced MacBooks and an iPad with M4 — creating a near-term demand/catalyst runway that traders are pricing in. Apple Could Launch at Least Five New Products, Including iPhone 17E, Next Week
• Positive Sentiment: Street support remains solid: several firms maintain buy/outperform views and the median 6?month target sits well above current levels — bolstering sentiment even as the market debates AI timing. Apple to Build Mac Mini in Houston — What It Means for AAPL Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Research and commentary suggest Apple may be less exposed to an AI “bubble” than pure?play AI names, but Apple’s AI features (Siri/Apple Intelligence) have seen delays — a mixed impact on valuation versus execution risk. New Research Says: Apple Could Be Safe From AI Bubble Fears
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling and uneven institutional repositioning have been reported (multiple senior insider sales and mixed hedge fund moves), which can weigh on sentiment if sustained. Apple Stock (AAPL) Opinions on AI Wearables Development
• Negative Sentiment: Critiques around Apple’s slower AI rollout (and headlines calling the strategy “lazy”) keep a portion of investors cautious about near?term growth versus competitors aggressively spending on AI infrastructure. How Apple’s Lazy AI Strategy Could Crush the Competition

Apple Company 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.