Timothy Cook Sells 64,949 Shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Timothy Cook sold 64,949 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $833,980,668.14. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $255.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $3.76 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $260.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $263.38. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $288.62.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The business had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KGI Securities raised Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.58.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Top investor endorsement — Billionaire Ken Griffin lists Apple among his five best stock picks, highlighting institutional conviction and potential buying support. 5 Best Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Ken Griffin
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing — Bank of America reiterates a Buy and cites accelerating services growth and on‑device AI upside, supporting a premium valuation thesis and positive analyst flow. Apple: Accelerating Services Growth and On‑Device AI Upside Support Premium Valuation and Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. manufacturing boost — Apple expands its U.S. manufacturing program with a reported $400M investment, a politically favorable move that can reduce supply risk and support margin/PR. Apple Inc. (AAPL) expands US manufacturing program with $400M investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive narrative around Apple at 50 — Extensive coverage of Apple’s 50th anniversary reminds investors of the company’s long-term durability, but raises governance/succession questions that are medium‑term rather than catalytic. Apple At 50 Weighs AI Partnerships Satellite Ties And Succession
• Neutral Sentiment: AI positioning debate — Coverage highlights a strategic pivot toward opening Siri to third‑party AI assistants and other AI moves; this reduces long-term AI execution risk but timing and monetization remain uncertain. Apple’s AI Strategy Is Pivoting. Here’s Why That Could Be Great News for the Stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Satellite dependency risk — Reports that Amazon is in talks to buy Globalstar (Apple’s satellite partner for Emergency SOS/messaging) raise competitive and supply‑chain uncertainty for Apple’s satellite features. Amazon Lines Up Deal to Rival SpaceX’s Starlink: Report. Why Apple Could Be a Problem.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation pressure — Commentary points to a rich trailing and forward P/E (high 20s–30s) that’s prompting profit‑taking and making AAPL sensitive to any slowdown in growth or disappointment on AI execution. Is Apple Stock Overvalued Or Undervalued?
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical / macro risk — Headlines about potential targeting of U.S. tech firms and broader Mag‑7 weakness amplify downside risk if tensions or macro selloffs persist. AAPL Stock on Watch: Iran Threatens Retaliatory Strikes Could Hit Apple Next

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,936,000. Up Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $1,583,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $41,605,000. Painted Porch Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 55,696 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $15,141,000 after buying an additional 1,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carter Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth $1,577,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

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.