FreeGulliver LLC Purchases 7,555 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

FreeGulliver LLC raised its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 117.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,991 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 7,555 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 1.6% of FreeGulliver LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. FreeGulliver LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $3,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,090,982 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $277,797,000 after acquiring an additional 258,663 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at $1,891,000. Boulder Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the third quarter worth $1,561,000. Pacific Sun Financial Corp increased its position in Apple by 0.3% in the third quarter. Pacific Sun Financial Corp now owns 47,723 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,152,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hutner Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Apple by 10.1% during the third quarter. Hutner Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,117 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,632,000 after purchasing an additional 2,023 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on AAPL. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $239.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Phillip Securities raised shares of Apple from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.58.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new low-cost devices (MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e) broaden addressable market and could win share versus cheaper Windows/Chromebooks — a strategic growth lever even if it pressures near-term margins. How Apple’s new low-cost MacBook Neo may shake up the market
• Positive Sentiment: Early Formula 1 ratings for AppleTV’s exclusive U.S. stream were strong, supporting the thesis that exclusive sports/content deals can grow Services subscriptions and engagement over time. Apple Gets Early Formula 1 Ratings Win
• Positive Sentiment: India’s plan to roll fresh smartphone manufacturing incentives could help Apple expand local production and improve margin/market access over the medium term. India plans fresh incentives for phone production
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed: a few firms raised targets or reiterated buys while others stay cautious/neutral; median price targets remain above the market, keeping a longer-term bullish backdrop but no unanimous near-term catalyst. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Apple cut its mainland China App Store commission to 25% (and mini-app fees to 12%) after regulator talks — good for developer relations but a direct hit to Services take-rate and near-term revenue in its second‑largest market. Apple cuts China App Store commission fees after government pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Strong insider selling and social/board chatter about a tech pullback and China demand risks are weighing on sentiment — traders are highlighting technical weakness and short-term bearish views. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and supply‑chain risks (memory/storage cost inflation and geopolitical disruption tied to the Iran war) could raise component costs and compress device margins if Apple absorbs price moves to hold consumer prices. The Iran War Could Upend AI. Here’s How.

Apple Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $250.12 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $169.21 and a 1 year high of $288.62. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $262.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $261.30. The company has a market cap of $3.67 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.62, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.15%.

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.