Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Auto Owners Insurance Co

Auto Owners Insurance Co lowered its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 40.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,818 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 10,182 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co’s holdings in Apple were worth $3,773,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First National Bank of Hutchinson increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $8,845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,982 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,544,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $134,554,000 after buying an additional 69,207 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $16,742,000 after buying an additional 2,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its holdings in Apple by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $12,587,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $254.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $261.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $262.04. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.21 and a twelve 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 company has a market capitalization of $3.73 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The firm 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 earned $2.40 EPS. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Tim Cook publicly dismissed retirement rumors and reinforced his commitment to Apple’s roadmap and upcoming AI milestones, reducing leadership uncertainty that had weighed on sentiment. Tim Cook squashes retirement rumors, says he ‘can’t imagine life without Apple’
• Positive Sentiment: Product refreshes: Apple unveiled AirPods Max 2 with upgraded features (H2 chip, improved ANC, live translation), and expanded its MacBook lineup with M5 chips — news that supports hardware revenue and drew an Evercore reaffirmation of Outperform. Apple unveils second-generation AirPods Max at $549, more than five years after debut
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic M&A: Apple acquired MotionVFX, a Final Cut Pro plugin maker, strengthening its creator tools and services ecosystem — a move that can help services/subscriptions monetization for pro users. Apple acquires video editing software company MotionVFX
• Positive Sentiment: Brand extensions: Beats launched Nike‑branded earbuds in a first hardware collaboration, showing continued diversification of accessory demand and co‑branding opportunities. Apple’s Beats Launches Nike‑Branded Earbuds in Its First‑Ever Hardware Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market flows: A broader shift of investor interest toward value ETFs (amid geopolitical uncertainty) is altering sector flows; not Apple‑specific but can affect relative demand for large growth names. 2 ETFs Have Similar Names. Their Performances Couldn’t Be More Different.
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply‑chain & supplier notes: Nvidia/Samsung foundry news and Foxconn’s mixed results keep focus on Apple’s manufacturing partners — potential upside if foundry capacity and iPhone assembly remain robust, but margins/supply risks persist. Samsung shares rise after Nvidia’s Huang flags tie-up on new AI chips
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest notices in March appear inconsistent/immaterial in the data reported and are unlikely to be a driver today.
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/operational criticism: Elon Musk publicly called iOS app‑review delays “ridiculous,” reigniting debate about App Store policy and developer friction — a potential negative for developer relations and platform perception. Elon Musk Has One Word for This Apple Problem: ‘Ridiculous’
• Negative Sentiment: Relative performance pressure: Coverage noting Apple has lagged some peers (Magnificent 7 commentary) underscores investor concerns about AI leadership and near‑term growth vs. names like Nvidia, which can cap multiple expansion. NVIDIA Leads Magnificent 7 Stocks in March while Apple and Tesla Slide

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. KGI Securities raised shares of Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.58.

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.