Channing Global Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Channing Global Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,140 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,613 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 2.7% of Channing Global Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Channing Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $3,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the third quarter worth approximately $695,000. Aspetuck Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Aspetuck Financial Management LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,507,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 39,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $10,149,000 after acquiring an additional 4,201 shares in the last quarter. Pegasus Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pegasus Asset Management Inc. now owns 83,185 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $21,181,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meridian Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Management Co. now owns 17,803 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,533,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $264.18 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $264.66 and its 200 day moving average is $259.59. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. 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 company has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue 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 year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 13.15%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tim Cook teased a series of product launches next week (new iPhone, iPad, MacBook announcements), which typically lifts demand expectations and short‑term investor sentiment. Tim Cook Teases Apple Launch On Monday
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Netflix agreed to co‑broadcast the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Apple TV and Netflix, a partnership that can boost Apple TV viewership and services engagement. Apple and Netflix team up to air Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix
• Positive Sentiment: Bloomberg/Reuters report Apple is in talks to launch Apple Pay in India — a multi‑hundred‑million‑user market that could materially grow services revenues over time. Apple talks with banks to start payment service in India
• Positive Sentiment: Apple moved to dismiss a proposed class action alleging it misled investors on Siri’s AI progress — if successful, this reduces a legal overhang. Apple seeks dismissal of fraud lawsuit over Siri AI
• Positive Sentiment: J.P. Morgan highlighted Apple’s potential to benefit from AI “companions” and Apple Intelligence initiatives, reinforcing the view that Apple can monetize AI through devices and services. AI Companions Could Make Apple Stock an AI Winner
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in recent filings appears anomalous/zero (likely reporting error), so it provides no clear directional signal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Heightened retail/institutional search and ETF coverage mention Apple as a core holding (Zacks, Vanguard ETF pieces), reflecting continued investor attention but not immediate directional impact. Investors Heavily Search Apple Inc. (AAPL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Advisors and funds continue to rebalance allocations (mentions of trades to balance Nvidia/Apple exposure), indicating portfolio flows but not a clear buy/sell signal. Advisor added to bond position to balance Nvidia and Apple holdings
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI hired a high‑profile researcher who previously led Apple’s models team, underscoring talent competition in AI that could challenge Apple’s pace of AI product development. OpenAI hires Meta AI researcher who previously led Apple’s models team
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/market pressure: coverage on Magnificent Seven profit-taking and elevated Nasdaq stress gauges suggests sectorwide selling/volatility, which depresses large-cap tech stocks including AAPL. Stocks Are Set for a February Slide. Can the Magnificent 7 Spark a March Rebound?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AAPL. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. CLSA raised their price target on shares of Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $239.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.41.

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.