Apple Inc. $AAPL is S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s Largest Position

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 68,703 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,085 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 5.1% of S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $17,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ryan Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its stake in Apple by 333.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Apple by 41.0% during the 2nd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $273.76 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $272.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $242.85. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $169.21 and a 1-year high of $288.62. The firm has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.11. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The firm had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.92%.

Key Stores Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors are pricing in a faster growth profile for Apple next year — a widely circulated take is that Apple is likely to return to double?digit revenue growth in fiscal 2026, driven by iPhone strength and Services, supporting the bull case for multiple and earnings upgrades. Apple Is Likely to Return to Double-Digit Revenue Growth in Fiscal 2026 — and the Stock Looks Like a Buy
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat highlights Apple as an “AI outlier” — a late but powerful entrant — noting steady analyst upgrades and price?target raises, plus iPhone/service momentum that could sustain upside as AI features are rolled into consumer products. 5 Stocks Set to Start Strong in January and Lead Through 2026 (AAPL)
• Positive Sentiment: CNBC coverage of the Mag?7 split frames a market that rewards companies that can monetize AI rather than simply spending heavily on capex — a setup that investors say favors distribution?first players like Apple that can drive software/services revenue from a huge installed base. AI spend is forcing a Mag 7 reckoning — and the gap could widen in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer?term AI theme pieces (the “application?layer rotation”) argue capital is moving from chipmakers to software shops; Apple is mentioned as a potential beneficiary over time but is cast as a latecomer, so near?term impact is uncertain. The Application-Layer Rotation: 3 AI Pure Plays Poised to Win in 2026 (AAPL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Performance roundups note Apple’s steady 2025 gains (year?to?date performance and a defensive, cash?generative profile), a reminder that broader market positioning and index flows remain tailwinds but not new catalysts. $1,000 invested in Apple stock at the start of 2025 returned
• Negative Sentiment: Social and data?driven summaries flag mixed sentiment around Apple’s AI model releases and continuing regulatory/legal scrutiny; the same QuiverQuant summary also highlights heavy insider selling over the last six months, which can sap near?term sentiment even if fundamentals remain intact. Apple Inc. Stock (AAPL) Opinions on AI Model Release and Regulatory Updates

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AAPL shares. Phillip Securities downgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, September 11th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $241.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Apple from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.92.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 47,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.79, for a total value of $12,101,228.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 179,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,005,982.82. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,199 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.39, for a total value of $1,038,790.61. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 8,765 shares in the company, valued at $2,168,373.35. This represents a 32.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 228,052 shares of company stock worth $58,604,588 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.