Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC Has $28.91 Million Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 113,534 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,623 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 8.9% of Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $28,909,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC grew its holdings in Apple by 333.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 41.0% in the 2nd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 1st quarter valued at about $99,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL stock opened at $274.62 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $267.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $254.61. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.21 and a 52-week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The company had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.15%.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly FCF, revenue and margins jumped, lifting AAPL target values and prompting bullish options strategies (short near-term OTM puts or long-dated ITM calls) as investors position for continued cash-flow strength. Apple’s FCF Margins Surge and Its Target Value Rises – What’s the Best AAPL Stock Play?
• Positive Sentiment: New-product cycle expected soon (iPhone 17e, updated iPads and refreshed Macs) — supports revenue visibility from hardware refreshes and accessory/services attach. Apple to Debut iPhone 17e, New iPads, Fresh Macs
• Positive Sentiment: Apple will allow third‑party AI chatbots in CarPlay, widening its ecosystem and potentially creating new services/monetization channels. Apple to Allow Third-Party AI Chatbots in CarPlay
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile investors (Peter Thiel’s fund) include Apple in contrarian AI exposure, signaling institutional conviction that Apple can play a role in the AI cycle. Thiel Bypasses Palantir and Nvidia for Meta, Tesla, Apple in Contrarian AI Play
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Tim Cook has pushed back on the idea Apple is falling behind in AI, highlighting progress on Apple’s AI platform — still leaves investors parsing timing and competitive edge vs. pure-play AI leaders. Is Apple Falling Behind in Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Here’s What CEO Tim Cook Just Said.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators expect continued volatility and a stock‑picker environment; that can favor active option strategies around large-cap names like Apple. Coons: Volatility Going Nowhere, GOOGL, AAPL & CRWD Next AI Winners
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the fundamentals, Apple is lagging today as money rotates into perceived AI/semiconductor winners (e.g., Nvidia), weighing on AAPL’s near‑term performance. Stock Market Today: Dow Gains As Nvidia Jumps; Apple Lags, Energy Stock Tests Entry (Live Coverage)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. CLSA raised their price target on shares of Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $291.70.

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.