Hartford Financial Management Inc. Acquires 2,601 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Hartford Financial Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,496 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 2,601 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 4.3% of Hartford Financial Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Hartford Financial Management Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $16,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Apple by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 51,696 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,163,000 after buying an additional 1,457 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 823,406 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $209,764,000 after acquiring an additional 16,416 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 0.4% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 37,123 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $9,453,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Jacobsen Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Apple by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobsen Capital Management now owns 34,977 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,906,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LVZ Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 2.1% in the third quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 25,018 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $6,370,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $278.12 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $268.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $253.90. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week 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 company has a market cap of $4.08 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS 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 company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.40 EPS. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AAPL. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on shares of Apple from $250.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Melius Research set a $345.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. CLSA raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $291.70.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple preparing to allow third‑party voice AI/chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) in CarPlay — a strategic shift that could boost in‑car services, user engagement and partnerships across the AI ecosystem. Apple plans to allow external voice-controlled AI chatbots in CarPlay
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 results (higher‑than‑expected revenue and EPS, large iPhone sales) continue to support investor confidence and explain why AAPL is outperforming many Big Tech peers after the AI‑led sell‑off.
• Positive Sentiment: EU says Apple Ads and Apple Maps should not be designated under the Digital Markets Act — avoids potential regulatory constraints and commercial disruption in Europe. Apple Ads and Apple Maps should not be designated under Digital Markets Act, says EU
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and bullish price targets remain — several firms have reiterated Outperform/Overweight calls and above‑consensus targets (median recent target ~$310), underpinning investor interest. Evercore ISI stays Outperform on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in new Big Tech ETF offerings and continued institutional buying signal durable demand from funds and passive vehicles. Big Tech Core: New Burney ETF Packs Apple, Nvidia, Google, Broadcom Punch
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data currently shows anomalies (reporting zeros/NaN) and offers no clear signal on bearish positioning — not market‑moving as reported.
• Neutral Sentiment: Global memory‑chip shortages raise questions about iPhone pricing vs. margin trade‑offs; could preserve margins (price increases) or dent volume if Apple raises prices — impact unclear near term. Pricier iPhones? Global memory chip crunch puts spotlight on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Apple has scaled back its AI health‑coach initiative (project “Mulberry”), highlighting execution and monetization challenges for new paid services tied to health/wearables. That could temper parts‑of‑services growth expectations. Apple Scales Back AI Health Coach Plans
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing insider selling is visible in regulatory filings; while routine at large cap firms, it can be interpreted negatively by some investors when concentrated.

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.