Diversified Enterprises LLC Grows Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Diversified Enterprises LLC boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 83,924 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,171 shares during the period. Apple comprises 1.4% of Diversified Enterprises LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Diversified Enterprises LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $21,370,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. lifted its position in Apple by 13.2% during the second quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. now owns 3,552 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $729,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 62,001 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,772,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,740,000 after buying an additional 2,920 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 195,482 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $40,107,000 after acquiring an additional 4,543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 17.9% during the 2nd quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL opened at $273.40 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $272.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $242.33. The firm has a market cap of $4.04 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.60, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $169.21 and a 1 year high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.11. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The firm had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th 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 of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.92%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total value of $1,017,654.96. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 43,013 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.39, for a total value of $11,071,116.07. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,181,866.93. This represents a 23.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 228,052 shares of company stock valued at $58,604,588. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AAPL. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on Apple from $241.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 price objective on Apple in a report on Friday, October 31st. Melius boosted their target price on Apple from $290.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $283.36 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.92.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Federal judge denied a bid to block U.S. imports of certain Apple Watch models in a patent dispute, letting Apple continue shipments that protect near-term wearables sales and supply continuity. Apple (AAPL) Cleared to Keep Importing Watch Models amid Patent Dispute
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s reports a surprise jump in China’s imports of foreign-branded mobile phones (iPhone exposure), which supports revenue upside and helps offset macro worries in Apple’s largest cyclical market. Apple Stock Ticks Up After a Surprise From China—and a Legal Win
• Positive Sentiment: High consumer-product satisfaction and continued endorsement from prominent investors/commentators (Jim Cramer highlighted Apple’s customer satisfaction edge), which supports brand resilience and premium pricing. Apple (AAPL)’s the Only One That Maintains High Consumer Product Satisfaction, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Apple publicly released a new AI model and product-level AI improvements (including live translation features), signaling product-driving AI steps rather than a race to ship unpolished tools — a potential catalyst for Services and device differentiation. Apple Just Released a New AI Model. Should You Buy AAPL Stock Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and MarketBeat commentary point to steady upgrades and a material upside case into 2026 as Apple leverages iPhone strength and gradual AI rollouts. Apple: The AI Outlier (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: User reviews of features like AirPods live translation (NYT) show incremental product wins that improve the ecosystem but are unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. How Well Does Apple’s Live Translation Work for Japanese? I Tested It in Tokyo.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting billionaires buying other AI stocks (possible future competitors or new leaders) is drawing headlines but doesn’t directly change Apple’s near-term fundamentals. Billionaires Are Buying an AI Stock That Could Be the Apple of the 2030s
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing narrative that Apple is a latecomer in generative AI creates valuation risk if investors re-rate tech leaders based on AI leadership; that debate may cap multiple expansion until clearer, product-level wins are delivered. Apple Doesn’t Need A Stronger AI Portfolio (Seeking Alpha)

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.