Covea Finance Sells 66,500 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Covea Finance reduced its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 590,784 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 66,500 shares during the period. Apple comprises 5.3% of Covea Finance’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Covea Finance’s holdings in Apple were worth $160,611,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its position in Apple by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 5,808 shares during the period. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 110.9% during the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. 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 purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 15.7% in the third quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 298,920 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 40,543 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple announced an “Apple Business” platform and plans to introduce paid ads in Maps (U.S. & Canada) this summer — a direct services monetization play that could lift Services revenue and margins. Apple to bring paid ads to maps to US, Canada this summer
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing a standalone Siri app and an “Ask Siri” feature as part of a broader AI push; WWDC (June 8–12) is expected to showcase further AI advancements — potential differentiation in consumer AI services. Apple Plans a Standalone Siri App
• Positive Sentiment: Hardware momentum: surveys and checks point to strong iPhone upgrade intent and supply-chain signals for a potential foldable iPhone in 2026 — product catalysts that support sales upside. Apple preparing first foldable iPhone for 2026 launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst activity is mixed but constructive: Morgan Stanley reaffirmed “overweight” with a ~$315 target while Bank of America trimmed its target slightly to $320 — signals of continued analyst support but also near-term caution. Analyst note
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported spikes in short interest appear to be data/noise (records showing 0 shares and NaN changes) — not a clear short-squeeze signal at this time.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/industry scrutiny is rising: EU broadcasters are pressing regulators over smart-TV and AI control, and broader policy scrutiny could complicate content/AI strategies and ad business expansion in some regions. EU Broadcasters Target Apple Over Smart TV and AI Control
• Negative Sentiment: Wider tech concerns — heavy AI spending and valuation pressure — remain a headwind for sentiment and could weigh on multiples even as revenue grows. The Great Rotation: Fade Dying Tech Stars

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on AAPL. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their price target on Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KGI Securities raised Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson increased their target price on shares of Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.58.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $251.64 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.69 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.10. 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 50-day moving average price of $260.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $262.53. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $169.21 and a 1-year high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is 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.