Stevens Capital Management LP Lowers Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Stevens Capital Management LP lowered its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 18.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,527 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 15,860 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 2.3% of Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings in Apple were worth $17,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in Apple by 6.4% in the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares during the period. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 110.9% in the 3rd 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. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 333.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $257.46 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.78 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.21 and a 12-month high of $288.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $263.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.70.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price objective on Apple in a report on Wednesday. Maxim Group upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Phillip Securities raised Apple from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.58.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi reiterates Buy and $315 price target, citing resilient margins, services expansion and emerging AI upside — a bank-level vote of confidence that can support flows into AAPL. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New product launches target volume growth: the MacBook Neo ($599 entry price) and the budget iPhone 17e (now 256GB base) aim to expand Apple’s installed base and services revenue over time — a potential structural booster to recurring services and hardware unit growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: BIEL Crystal named exclusive cover?glass supplier for the iPhone 17e — a supply?chain detail that supports the roll?out timing and margins for the new low?priced model. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst/target momentum continues (street targets now range into the $310–$350 area), reflecting investor enthusiasm around Apple’s AI Macs, services acceleration and strong recent earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Large, mixed institutional flows and a wide range of analyst targets mean conviction is split — some funds adding shares while many trimmed positions last quarter; this can amplify moves but also limit runaway direction. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentators note resistance and downside targets near ~$250; that technical setup can keep trading choppy even with favorable fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/market risk: a spike in oil and geopolitical noise sparked broad tech and Nasdaq weakness overnight — algo-driven selling hit large caps, including Apple, pressuring the stock irrespective of company?specific news. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk: Samsung is pursuing AI partnerships (OpenAI and others) to close feature gaps — intensified AI competition in smartphones/laptops could pressure Apple’s premium positioning over time. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling (multiple executive sales reported) can be interpreted negatively by some traders and, combined with technical caution, may amplify near?term downside pressure. Article Title

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.