Granite Investment Partners LLC Has $48.55 Million Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Granite Investment Partners LLC cut its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 190,664 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 27,736 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 2.8% of Granite Investment Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Granite Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $48,549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. now owns 3,552 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $729,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Apple by 4.6% in the second quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,920 shares in the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC raised its stake in Apple by 17.9% in the second quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares in the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Apple by 2.2% during the third quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $101,301,000 after purchasing an additional 8,446 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its stake in Apple by 48.4% during the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 1,426,605 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $363,256,000 after buying an additional 465,393 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 2nd. CLSA upped their price target on shares of Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Stephens set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, January 26th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.58.

Apple Stock Up 0.9%

AAPL stock opened at $259.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $263.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $260.95. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $288.62. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The firm’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. As a group, equities research 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 paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 13.15%.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The launch of the MacBook Neo, a budget-friendly 13″ laptop starting at $599, is being viewed as a way to expand Apple’s addressable market (students/entry buyers) and could modestly boost unit sales and ecosystem adoption. Apple’s Latest Move Is a Brilliant One, and It Could Be a Game Changer for the Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Apple expanded its lower‑priced device push (including MacBook Neo and the iPhone 17e with larger base storage), a strategy Bernstein says can grow the ecosystem while protecting premium margins. Apple Expands Push Into Lower-Priced Devices
• Positive Sentiment: Broker support persists: Citi reiterated a Buy rating and $315 target citing resilient margins, expanding services and emerging AI upside — a bullish anchor for investors. Apple: Resilient Margins, Expanding Services, and Emerging AI Upside Support Buy Rating and $315 Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Shipment data show Samsung matched Apple’s smartphone production last year — competitive parity that matters for market share monitoring but not an immediate earnings shock. Samsung Caught Apple In Smartphone Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in the feed are effectively meaningless/erroneous (zeros/NaN), so there’s no clear short‑seller signal from that report.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory costs are a clear near‑term headwind: analysts estimate a ~140 basis‑point margin hit in 2026 as DRAM prices jump, which could pressure gross margins even as revenue grows. Apple Stock — Why Analysts Still Like It Despite A Memory Squeeze
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional and insider selling is notable: reports highlight insider sales by senior executives and continued large position reductions from major holders (coverage cites Berkshire/Buffett selling activity), which can weigh on sentiment. Warren Buffett Just Did Something He Almost Never Does — and It’s a Signal Retirees Shouldn’t Ignore Apple Stock (AAPL) Opinions on New MacBook Neo Launch

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.