Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 70,772 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,834 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 4.6% of Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $19,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 5,808 shares during the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 110.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 298,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 40,543 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.
Key Apple News
Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Board-approved internal succession to John Ternus signals continuity and a hardware-first CEO who knows Apple’s product roadmap — could accelerate device and M-series hardware initiatives that drive revenue. Who is John Ternus, Apple's new CEO?
- Positive Sentiment: Immediate internal promotion of Johny Srouji to Chief Hardware Officer preserves engineering depth and reduces execution risk on chips and hardware — helpful given Apple’s silicon roadmap. Johny Srouji named Apple's Chief Hardware Officer
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media support remains: Goldman maintains a bullish $330 target ahead of earnings; Jim Cramer and some strategists highlight Apple’s AI and hardware advantages — these views can help underpin sentiment into earnings. Goldman Sachs Holds $330 Target
- Neutral Sentiment: The transition is staged for Sept. 1 with Tim Cook remaining CEO through the summer to work with Ternus — the runway reduces immediate operational disruption but extends the period of leadership uncertainty. Apple press release on CEO transition
- Neutral Sentiment: Near-term calendar: earnings after the close on April 30 remain the closest fundamental catalyst; leadership news may amplify volatility into the report. Apple's Q2 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
- Negative Sentiment: Market reaction was mixed — reports show shares dipped in after-hours trading as some investors questioned whether a hardware-focused CEO can sustain Cook’s growth and margin track record. That uncertainty can pressure the stock near-term. VIEW Apple CEO Cook is lauded by investors
- Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: Apple has withheld data in an India antitrust probe and faces possible large penalties there — a high‑impact regulatory overhang if the case escalates. Apple withholds data in India antitrust case
- Negative Sentiment: Options and positioning: unusual put activity ahead of earnings suggests some investors are hedging or betting on near-term downside around the combination of leadership news and the upcoming results. Apple Has Unusual Put Options Activity
Apple Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $273.05 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.11. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $189.81 and a twelve month high of $288.62. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $259.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $264.28.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.
Apple Announces Dividend
The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.15%.
Insider Transactions at Apple
In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
AAPL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Phillip Securities upgraded Apple from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $267.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $301.33.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Apple
Apple Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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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