Financial Strategies Group Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Financial Strategies Group Inc. lessened its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 27.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,549 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 10,826 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 1.5% of Financial Strategies Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Financial Strategies Group Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $7,681,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,415,932,804 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $290,506,933,000 after purchasing an additional 15,141,995 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Apple by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 601,249,995 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $123,358,461,000 after purchasing an additional 5,224,229 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 1.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 354,749,794 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $72,506,336,000 after buying an additional 4,942,638 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth approximately $38,942,255,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Apple by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,918,365,000 after acquiring an additional 20,079,472 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of AAPL opened at $263.75 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $288.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $264.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.05. 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 $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New MacBook Air/Pro lineup with M5 chips and revamped Studio Displays reinforces Apple’s device‑level AI strategy and supports higher ASPs and services attachment. Apple launches new generation of MacBook laptops
• Positive Sentiment: Apple introduced a lower‑cost iPhone 17e (starting $599) and upgraded iPad Air, which should help defend share in price‑sensitive markets and broaden upgrade cycles. Apple launches iPhone 17e
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America keeps a Buy rating and $325 price target, citing sustained services momentum and device‑level AI upside — a bullish analyst endorsement for medium‑term upside. BofA maintains Buy on Apple
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data showed a reported large increase but the published figures read as 0 shares/NaN (days‑to‑cover 0.0) — likely a reporting glitch, so no clear bearish signal from short sellers at this time.
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target modestly (from $239 to $248) but kept an “underweight” rating — a mixed signal (higher PT but continued cautious stance). Barclays raises PT but stays underweight
• Negative Sentiment: Apple increased MacBook prices (Air up ~$100; Pro up more, some models +$400) as memory‑chip shortages and rising component costs push up ASPs — this can boost near‑term revenue but risks dampening unit demand and margin visibility. Apple raises MacBook prices amid chip shortage
• Negative Sentiment: Warren Buffett/Berkshire materially trimmed its Apple stake (reports say a ~75% sale in his final filings), a high‑profile shareholder reduction that can amplify near‑term selling pressure and sentiment risk. How Berkshire Hathaway performed during Buffett’s final quarter

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. KGI Securities raised Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 target price on Apple in a research note on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $296.07.

Apple Company 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.