Apple Inc. $AAPL is Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s Largest Position

Key Points

• Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its stake in Apple by 0.8% in Q4 to 1,103,868 shares (about $300.1M), making AAPL its largest holding at roughly 3.4% of the firm's portfolio; institutional investors own about 67.7% of the stock.
• Apple shows positive momentum—Q1 results beat estimates (EPS $2.84 vs. $2.67; revenue $143.8B, +15.7% YoY), iPhone shipments in China jumped ~20% in Q1, and several analysts raised targets—but insiders (including CEO Tim Cook and SVP Deirdre O'Brien) sold shares under Rule 10b5‑1 plans and heavy options activity signals potential near‑term volatility.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,103,868 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 8,580 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 3.4% of Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in Apple were worth $300,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the first quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Finally, Miller Global Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $127,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Counterpoint/Reuters data show iPhone shipments in China jumped ~20% in Q1 — far outpacing the market and supporting Apple’s revenue and share‑gain narrative in its largest smartphone market. Apple's iPhone shipments in China surge 20% in Q1, data shows
• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas upgraded AAPL to Outperform and raised its price target (citing supply‑chain strength and a premium mix benefit as memory prices rise), which helped lift sentiment and buy‑side interest. Apple Upgraded To Outperform As BNP Sees Share Gains From Memory Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target and highlighted Apple’s M5/edge‑AI roadmap as a meaningful product/AI catalyst — reinforcing the case for multiple expansion if product momentum continues. Bank of America Increases Apple Price Target to $325
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy call‑option activity and structured trades around Apple’s April 30 earnings show traders positioning for a big move; options can amplify returns but also add short‑term volatility risk. Apple Stock Trade Risk Around Earnings Offers A 27% Reward
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate moves — a leadership transition in Wearables/Home and Project Glasswing (an AI security alliance) — underline long‑term product and services initiatives but are unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Apple’s Wearables Shakeup And AI Security Push Shape Long Term Story
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory and component costs remain a two‑edged sword — while some analysts argue it improves Apple’s competitive positioning, higher input prices can compress margins if the premium mix or pricing power softens. Apple Upgrade Hinges on Cost Advantage Shift
• Negative Sentiment: TSMC’s strong AI‑driven results and supply comments briefly pressured AAPL aftermarket moves (market reads TSMC commentary as mixed signal for margins/supply dynamics). Also expect volatility into the April 30 earnings print. TSMC’s Results Weren’t a Great Sign for Apple

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following 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 position. 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 Apple stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $270.23 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $189.81 and a 1 year high of $288.62. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $259.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $264.17. The firm has a market cap of $3.97 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The firm had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. Apple's revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Apple from $239.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Scotiabank set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Moffett Nathanson increased their price target on shares of Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $301.33.

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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