Arbor Investment Advisors LLC Acquires 32,283 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Arbor Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 150.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,712 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,283 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 1.7% of Arbor Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Arbor Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $13,677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. First National Bank of Hutchinson boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 6,982 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,544,000 after buying an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $134,554,000 after acquiring an additional 69,207 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $16,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its stake in Apple by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $12,587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective (up previously from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. DZ Bank raised Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. CLSA upped their target price on Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Apple from $180.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $284.07.

Apple Trading Down 1.0%

AAPL stock opened at $255.53 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.76 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $288.62. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $271.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $249.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.89.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 13.92%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Holiday-quarter strength in China: iPhone 17 shipments rebounded and Apple reclaimed the top spot in China’s smartphone market, supporting revenue durability in a key region. Apple tops China smartphone sales as iPhone 17 defies chip shortage
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability improvement: Reports highlight Apple achieved ~+13% adjusted EPS growth, reinforcing that earnings momentum remains intact even as investors debate valuation. Apple (AAPL) Achieved an Adjusted EPS Growth of +13%
• Positive Sentiment: Apple Card shift to JPMorgan: JPMorgan Chase taking over the Apple Card from Goldman Sachs signals a strategic partner move that may stabilize the card program and payments revenue. JPMorgan Chase Is About to Take Over the Apple Card Business From Goldman Sachs. Here’s What Investors Need to Know.
• Neutral Sentiment: Siri AI collaboration with Google: Apple’s move to integrate Google’s Gemini into Siri could boost AI capabilities but raises strategic questions about Google reliance and long-term differentiation. Impact depends on execution and regulatory optics. As Apple Teams Up with Google on Siri AI Upgrades, Should You Buy AAPL Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: App ecosystem signal: New Apple Watch apps (e.g., MOJO KING) show continued third‑party innovation leveraging Apple’s wearables, a modest positive for Services/Hardware attach but not a material driver alone. 6Letters Launches “MOJO KING,” an Apple Watch-Based iOS App for Non-Invasive Testosterone Monitoring
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk in India: A key antitrust hearing is set for Jan. 27, adding near-term legal and market-access uncertainty in a large growth market. Traders may be marking down risk exposure ahead of the date. Dear Apple Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for January 27
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment and positioning: Jim Cramer said it “worries” him that buyers haven’t stepped in, reflecting cautious retail/institutional appetite and contributing to short‑term selling pressure. Jim Cramer on Apple: “It worries me that the buyers haven’t figured out to buy it yet”
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/sector rotation: Coverage notes the “Magnificent Seven” are diverging as the AI trade cools; that group-level rotation is pressuring Apple alongside some hedge fund stake trimming. The Magnificent Seven Drove Markets. Now They’re Pulling in Different Directions.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,030.54. The trade was a 19.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

About Apple

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.