Apple Inc. $AAPL is Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.'s Largest Position

Key Points

• Ausdal Financial Partners increased its Apple stake 18.4% in Q3 to 220,060 shares, making AAPL its largest position at about 2.7% of the portfolio and valued at $56.03 million.
• Apple topped quarterly estimates with EPS of $2.84 (vs. $2.67 est.) and revenue of $143.76B (vs. $138.25B), delivering a 27.04% net margin and a 159.94% return on equity.
• The stock carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $297.58 and is 67.73% owned by institutions, including large new positions from Norges Bank and Nuveen.

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 220,060 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 34,133 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 2.7% of Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $56,034,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth about $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the 1st quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. PKS Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 98,917.0% during the 2nd quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC now owns 57,956,620 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $12,106,000 after acquiring an additional 57,898,088 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Apple by 20,464.8% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $5,553,753,000 after acquiring an additional 26,937,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Apple by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,918,365,000 after acquiring an additional 20,079,472 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, December 29th. Moffett Nathanson lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Phillip Securities raised shares of Apple from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $297.58.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new low-cost devices (MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e) broaden addressable market and could win share versus cheaper Windows/Chromebooks — a strategic growth lever even if it pressures near-term margins. How Apple's new low-cost MacBook Neo may shake up the market
• Positive Sentiment: Early Formula 1 ratings for AppleTV’s exclusive U.S. stream were strong, supporting the thesis that exclusive sports/content deals can grow Services subscriptions and engagement over time. Apple Gets Early Formula 1 Ratings Win
• Positive Sentiment: India’s plan to roll fresh smartphone manufacturing incentives could help Apple expand local production and improve margin/market access over the medium term. India plans fresh incentives for phone production
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed: a few firms raised targets or reiterated buys while others stay cautious/neutral; median price targets remain above the market, keeping a longer-term bullish backdrop but no unanimous near-term catalyst. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Apple cut its mainland China App Store commission to 25% (and mini-app fees to 12%) after regulator talks — good for developer relations but a direct hit to Services take-rate and near-term revenue in its second‑largest market. Apple cuts China App Store commission fees after government pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Strong insider selling and social/board chatter about a tech pullback and China demand risks are weighing on sentiment — traders are highlighting technical weakness and short-term bearish views. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and supply‑chain risks (memory/storage cost inflation and geopolitical disruption tied to the Iran war) could raise component costs and compress device margins if Apple absorbs price moves to hold consumer prices. The Iran War Could Upend AI. Here’s How.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $250.12 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $262.08 and a 200 day moving average of $261.52. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62. The company has a market cap of $3.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 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.

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