Apple Inc. $AAPL is Ritholtz Wealth Management’s 6th Largest Position

Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 560,086 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 24,979 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 2.8% of Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Apple were worth $142,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew 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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC boosted its holdings in Apple by 333.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth $65,000. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC grew its position in Apple by 41.0% in the 2nd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 1st quarter worth about $99,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly FCF, revenue and margins jumped, lifting AAPL target values and prompting bullish options strategies (short near-term OTM puts or long-dated ITM calls) as investors position for continued cash-flow strength. Apple’s FCF Margins Surge and Its Target Value Rises – What’s the Best AAPL Stock Play?
• Positive Sentiment: New-product cycle expected soon (iPhone 17e, updated iPads and refreshed Macs) — supports revenue visibility from hardware refreshes and accessory/services attach. Apple to Debut iPhone 17e, New iPads, Fresh Macs
• Positive Sentiment: Apple will allow third‑party AI chatbots in CarPlay, widening its ecosystem and potentially creating new services/monetization channels. Apple to Allow Third-Party AI Chatbots in CarPlay
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile investors (Peter Thiel’s fund) include Apple in contrarian AI exposure, signaling institutional conviction that Apple can play a role in the AI cycle. Thiel Bypasses Palantir and Nvidia for Meta, Tesla, Apple in Contrarian AI Play
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Tim Cook has pushed back on the idea Apple is falling behind in AI, highlighting progress on Apple’s AI platform — still leaves investors parsing timing and competitive edge vs. pure-play AI leaders. Is Apple Falling Behind in Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Here’s What CEO Tim Cook Just Said.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators expect continued volatility and a stock‑picker environment; that can favor active option strategies around large-cap names like Apple. Coons: Volatility Going Nowhere, GOOGL, AAPL & CRWD Next AI Winners
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the fundamentals, Apple is lagging today as money rotates into perceived AI/semiconductor winners (e.g., Nvidia), weighing on AAPL’s near‑term performance. Stock Market Today: Dow Gains As Nvidia Jumps; Apple Lags, Energy Stock Tests Entry (Live Coverage)

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $274.62 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $267.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $254.61. 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 firm has a market cap of $4.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.40 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is 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 (DPR) is presently 13.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen cut Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $291.70.

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.