Main Street Research LLC Buys 56,921 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Main Street Research LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 19.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 351,315 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 56,921 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 4.8% of Main Street Research LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Main Street Research LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $89,455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 17.1% in the third quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 190,450 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $48,847,000 after acquiring an additional 27,794 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Apple by 5.4% during the third quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 83,611 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $21,290,000 after purchasing an additional 4,275 shares in the last quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter valued at approximately $6,557,000. Private Management Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 3.4% during the third quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 52,225 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perbak Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at approximately $506,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.58.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new low-cost devices (MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e) broaden addressable market and could win share versus cheaper Windows/Chromebooks — a strategic growth lever even if it pressures near-term margins. How Apple’s new low-cost MacBook Neo may shake up the market
• Positive Sentiment: Early Formula 1 ratings for AppleTV’s exclusive U.S. stream were strong, supporting the thesis that exclusive sports/content deals can grow Services subscriptions and engagement over time. Apple Gets Early Formula 1 Ratings Win
• Positive Sentiment: India’s plan to roll fresh smartphone manufacturing incentives could help Apple expand local production and improve margin/market access over the medium term. India plans fresh incentives for phone production
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed: a few firms raised targets or reiterated buys while others stay cautious/neutral; median price targets remain above the market, keeping a longer-term bullish backdrop but no unanimous near-term catalyst. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Apple cut its mainland China App Store commission to 25% (and mini-app fees to 12%) after regulator talks — good for developer relations but a direct hit to Services take-rate and near-term revenue in its second?largest market. Apple cuts China App Store commission fees after government pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Strong insider selling and social/board chatter about a tech pullback and China demand risks are weighing on sentiment — traders are highlighting technical weakness and short-term bearish views. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and supply?chain risks (memory/storage cost inflation and geopolitical disruption tied to the Iran war) could raise component costs and compress device margins if Apple absorbs price moves to hold consumer prices. The Iran War Could Upend AI. Here’s How.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL opened at $250.12 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $262.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $261.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

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.