Close Asset Management Ltd Sells 72,073 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Close Asset Management Ltd decreased its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 205,622 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 72,073 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 1.2% of Close Asset Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Close Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Apple were worth $52,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares during the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 110.9% during the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 333.3% in the second 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 during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens set a $315.00 price target on Apple in a research report on Monday, January 26th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Moffett Nathanson raised their target price on Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.58.

Key Apple News

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

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $260.81 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.21 and a twelve month high of $288.62. 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 cap of $3.83 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average is $262.82 and its 200-day moving average is $261.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.40 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

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.