Parthenon LLC Decreases Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Parthenon LLC cut its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 128,855 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,614 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 3.8% of Parthenon LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Parthenon LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $35,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the first quarter worth approximately $17,472,482,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Apple by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,918,365,000 after purchasing an additional 20,079,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 104,706,358 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $26,220,566,000 after purchasing an additional 13,137,968 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $268.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Maxim Group raised Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $287.00 target price (up from $280.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $301.83.

Apple Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $271.35 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 company has a market capitalization of $3.98 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.11. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $193.25 and a one year high of $288.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $260.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $265.02.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 13.15%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat on top and bottom lines — Apple reported $111.2B revenue and $2.01 adjusted EPS, topping Street estimates and signaling continued demand momentum. Apple’s Stock Climbs on a Rosy Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management says iPhone 17 demand is “extraordinary”; iPhone revenue rose strongly and the active installed base hit records — supports durable hardware growth. Apple Sales Top $111 Billion in Second Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Strong forward guide — Apple guided fiscal Q3 revenue up 14–17% YoY (above consensus), and raised profit guidance; that drove the most immediate upside reaction. Apple Stock Jumps on Revenue Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return ramp — Apple added $100B to its buyback program and signaled shareholder-friendly distributions, which supports EPS and investor sentiment. Apple adds $100 billion to its share buyback program
• Neutral Sentiment: Services and Mac strength — Services hit an all-time quarterly high (~$30B) and Macs saw AI-driven demand, diversifying revenue beyond iPhone. Apple was surprised by AI-driven demand for Macs
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership transition spotlight — Tim Cook introduced incoming CEO John Ternus on the earnings call; investors see a smooth handoff but will watch execution under new leadership. Incoming Apple CEO John Ternus Makes Wall Street Cameo
• Negative Sentiment: Memory and supply headwinds — Management warned memory costs will increasingly impact the business and said supply constraints limited some iPhone shipments; that could pressure margins and near-term unit growth. Cook: Memory Costs Will Be Increasing Impact On Our Business
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk — Apple is in a tense dispute with India’s antitrust body over document requests; prolonged fights or fines could be a headline risk in key markets. Apple says India antitrust body overstepping judicial authority
• Negative Sentiment: Product execution concerns — reports that Vision Pro priority has been dialed back and mixed commentary on longer-term AI positioning leave some investors wanting clearer strategy/roadmap. Apple Has Given Up on the Vision Pro After M5 Refresh Flop

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This trade represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 30,002 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 96,485 shares of company stock worth $24,594,845 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Company 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.