Apple Inc. $AAPL Position Lowered by Hall Laurie J Trustee

Key Points

• Hall Laurie J Trustee trimmed its position in Apple by 3.5% in Q4, selling 2,058 shares to hold 57,536 shares worth $15.642 million, roughly 5.2% of the firm's portfolio and its second‑largest holding.
• Apple recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.84 vs $2.67; revenue $143.76B vs $138.25B), reported a ~20% jump in iPhone shipments in China for Q1, and carries a MarketBeat consensus of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $301.33 (Bank of America raised its target to $325).

Hall Laurie J Trustee trimmed its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 57,536 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,058 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 5.2% of Hall Laurie J Trustee's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Hall Laurie J Trustee's holdings in Apple were worth $15,642,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Overbrook Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Overbrook Management Corp now owns 104,648 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $28,449,000 after buying an additional 38,174 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $101,301,000 after buying an additional 8,446 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 1,426,605 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $363,256,000 after buying an additional 465,393 shares during the period. Tufton Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tufton Capital Management now owns 100,130 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $25,496,000 after buying an additional 4,157 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 734,485 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $187,022,000 after buying an additional 27,445 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Apple from $267.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. KGI Securities upgraded Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Apple from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price objective on Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $301.33.

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

Apple Price Performance

AAPL stock opened at $270.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.97 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.11. The stock's 50 day moving average is $259.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $264.11. 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $189.81 and a 52-week high of $288.62.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of Apple 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% 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 currently owned by company insiders.

About Apple

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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