AlphaQuest LLC Buys New Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,731 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock, valued at approximately $695,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. American Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,174,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Aspetuck Financial Management LLC raised its position in Apple by 0.3% in the third quarter. Aspetuck Financial Management LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,507,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank lifted its stake in Apple by 0.3% during the second quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 18,011 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,695,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Beddow Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 1.8% during the second quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

More Apple News

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 weighed in on AAPL. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. CLSA increased their target price on shares of Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $293.41.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $264.18 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $264.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.40, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued 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 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 analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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