Trust Co of the South Raises Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Trust Co of the South increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,485 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 3,484 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 4.1% of Trust Co of the South’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Trust Co of the South’s holdings in Apple were worth $25,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 1st quarter worth approximately $99,000. Finally, Collier Financial acquired a new position in Apple during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $149,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Trading Down 0.4%

AAPL opened at $247.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.64 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.35, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $260.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $262.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were paid 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, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.15%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China strength: iPhone sales in China jumped ~23% in the first nine weeks of 2026, outpacing a weak local market and supporting Apple’s revenue and unit growth prospects in a key market. Apple’s China smartphone sales jump 23%
• Positive Sentiment: Product demand: Apple’s Mac had its best-ever launch week for first-time customers, signaling continued strength in Mac demand that can help hardware revenue mix. Apple Mac sees best ever launch week
• Positive Sentiment: Legal win on Apple Watch: A U.S. trade tribunal preliminarily ruled redesigned Apple Watches don’t infringe Masimo patents, fending off a renewed import ban and removing a regulatory/shutdown risk for Watch shipments. Apple Watch clears key patent challenge
• Positive Sentiment: AI/App Store monetization: Reporting suggests Apple made ~$900M from AI-related App Store activity last year and could top $1B soon — a recurring, high-margin revenue stream that supports services growth. Apple made $900M from AI
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO outreach: Tim Cook’s China visit reinforces focus on local partnerships and regulatory navigation — positive strategically but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Tim Cook’s China visit
• Neutral Sentiment: New integrations and content deals (Apple Health integrations, Apple TV sports/content deals) expand ecosystem stickiness but their near-term revenue impact is uncertain. Apple Health integrates with Perplexity Health
• Negative Sentiment: Security risk: Researchers flagged the “DarkSword” iOS exploit and related spyware/ghostblade campaigns targeting crypto wallets; Apple has issued alerts and pushed patches — security scares can dent consumer confidence and spur short-term churn or support costs. DarkSword iPhone exploit threatens wallets
• Negative Sentiment: Market sentiment and positioning: Some AI-driven price models are bearish for Q2 and there’s visible insider selling and mixed analyst positioning — these contribute to short-term selling pressure. AI sets Apple stock price for Q2 2026

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on AAPL shares. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. CLSA increased their price target on Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson boosted their price objective on Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.58.

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.