Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Lifted by Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC

Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 16.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 564,545 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 80,871 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 3.6% of Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $143,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 3.7% in the third quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,174,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 18,011 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,695,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Apple by 1.8% during the second quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Uncommon Cents Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the third quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 10,609 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,701,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on AAPL. DZ Bank raised shares of 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. Argus set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Maxim Group upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.13.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $264.35 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.21 and a 12-month high of $288.62. The company has a market cap of $3.88 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.42, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $256.97.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 13.15%.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is accelerating development of three AI wearables (smart glasses, an AI pendant and camera-equipped AirPods) are being priced as a new growth path beyond the iPhone — a potential high‑margin ecosystem extension that traders rewarded. Apple is reportedly cooking up a trio of AI wearables
• Positive Sentiment: Street bullishness remains: Wedbush and other bullish analysts reiterated high price targets (e.g., $350), and commentators argue Apple’s measured AI approach could unlock substantial value — supporting upside sentiment despite recent volatility. Dan Ives Says Apple’s AI Alone Could Be Worth $1.5 Trillion
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming March 4 product event and strong Q1 results (record revenue / iPhone strength) give investors a near-term catalyst and sentiment support ahead of new-device reveals. Apple Gears Up For ‘Special Experience’ Event On March 4: Here’s What To Expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/positioning notes — Apple’s correlation with the Nasdaq has fallen to multi‑decade lows, which can make it a relative “safe-haven” inside big tech but also means different performance drivers than pure AI plays. Apple’s AI Strategy Offers Alternative for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Product extensions (Apple Pay installments; car keys expanding to Toyota) are incremental service/UX positives but unlikely to move the needle alone. Apple Set to Bring Car Keys Function to Toyota Vehicles
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway trimmed its Apple stake in the latest 13F — continuing a multi‑quarter pattern of selling. Large‑holder trimming, even if incremental, can pressure sentiment and headline-driven flows. Berkshire & AI Hyperscalers: Buffett Holds GOOGL, Dumps AMZN
• Negative Sentiment: Investor anxiety about delayed Siri upgrades, reported regulatory scrutiny and recent insider selling have driven part of the recent pullback — these are the main negative narratives investors cite when selling into volatility. Apple’s $2.84 Earnings Beat Can’t Overcome Siri Delay Concerns

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.