Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lessened its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 677,452 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 4,773 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 5.7% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $172,499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Isthmus Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 6.4% during the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 5,808 shares in the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 110.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its position in Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC grew its stake in Apple by 333.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $260.81 on Thursday. 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 capitalization of $3.83 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $288.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $262.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $261.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The business had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.40 EPS. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. CLSA boosted 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. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Apple from $239.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.58.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple has accelerated its supply‑chain diversification: India now accounts for about 25% of iPhone output after a ~53% production increase, reducing China/tariff risk and improving supply resilience. Apple’s India Production Grows As German Antitrust Risks Test Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: New, lower‑priced hardware is expanding TAM: analysts expect Apple to ship ~4–5M MacBook Neo units this year and the $599 MacBook Neo aims at the entry PC market — a potential growth lever for Mac revenue and share. Apple likely to ship 4-5M MacBook Neos this year, expand tech giant’s brand: analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Product and platform momentum: new M5 Pro/Max Macs and strong reviews for high‑end MacBook Pros support the premium ecosystem and help defend margins in creative/pro markets. Testing Apple’s 2026 16-inch MacBook Pro, M5 Max, and its new “performance” cores – Ars Technica
• Neutral Sentiment: Bull case cites rising free cash‑flow expectations that support long‑term valuation; these are constructive but already priced into a high market cap and premium multiple. Apple: Rising Free Cash Flow Expectations Strengthen The Bull Case
• Negative Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Hold and flagged a sharp decline in iPhone shipments in China — a near‑term demand concern that pressures growth expectations and could weigh on revenue guidance. UBS Maintains a Hold Rating on Apple (AAPL) As Shipmments Drop in China
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: German publishers say recent ATT revisions don’t fix competition issues and are urging antitrust fines — a potential headwind for App Store rules and services revenue. German publishers reject Apple’s revised app tracking rules, urge antitrust fine
• Negative Sentiment: Product execution risk: reports that Siri problems have delayed Apple’s smart home display point to AI/voice assistant challenges that could slow expansion into new hardware categories. Apple’s Siri Troubles Put Smart Home Display On Hold

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.