Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Boston Common Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Boston Common Asset Management cut its stake in Apple by 6.3% in Q4, selling 16,540 shares and retaining 245,783 shares worth $66.82 million, making Apple ~3.4% of its portfolio and its fourth‑largest holding.
• Several large institutions either initiated or materially increased positions in Apple (notably Norges Bank ~$38.94B and Nuveen ~$17.47B, with Northern Trust and UBS AM adding tens of millions of shares), leaving institutional ownership at 67.73%.
• Insiders sold shares: SVP Deirdre O'Brien sold 30,002 shares (~$7.66M) and CEO Tim Cook sold 64,949 shares (~$16.51M) on April 2 under pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plans, a combined sale of roughly $24.17M.

Boston Common Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 245,783 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 16,540 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 3.4% of Boston Common Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Boston Common Asset Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $66,819,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Apple during the first quarter worth about $17,472,482,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 26,937,401 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Apple by 13.3% during the fourth 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. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Apple by 14.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 13,137,968 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $260.48 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.06 and a 52-week high of $288.62. The company has a market capitalization of $3.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $260.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $263.73. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 13.15%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market share gains: Counterpoint/Reuters data show Apple led global smartphone shipments in Q1 with about 21% share and 5% year‑over‑year growth — a signal of resilient iPhone demand that underpins revenue and margin outlooks. Apple leads global smartphone shipments
• Positive Sentiment: Supplier strength: TSMC reported a 35% jump in Q1 revenue on AI chip demand — good for Apple’s advanced chip supply continuity and pricing leverage for devices using leading-node silicon. TSMC revenue surges
• Positive Sentiment: Services distribution lift: Apple TV becoming available as a paid add‑on on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. expands services reach and monetization channels for Apple’s content/subscription ecosystem. Apple TV lands on Amazon Prime Video
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity: Reports of unusual bullish options flow suggest some investors are positioning for upside, but options can amplify short‑term moves without changing fundamentals. Unusual Activity in Apple Options Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional moves: Coverage notes Israel Englander trimmed a Millennium position and other filings show insider sales — routine portfolio rebalancing that merits monitoring but not necessarily a directional signal alone. Israel Englander Trims Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Retail/ labor risk: Apple will close three U.S. mall stores in June including its first unionized location in Towson, Maryland. The move raises labor‑relations and PR concerns and highlights brick‑and‑mortar pressure — a small revenue line but reputational and employee‑relation risk. Apple to shutter its first unionized US store
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings/forecast downside: Jefferies flagged a possible slight March‑quarter miss (weaker iPhone sales, higher memory costs) and Erste lowered FY2027 EPS estimates — both could pressure near‑term sentiment ahead of formal guidance. Apple set to deliver slight earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Product timing concerns: Ongoing reports about foldable iPhone technical challenges and potential delays keep some investors cautious about the next major product catalyst. Foldable iPhone remains on track

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAPL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Raymond James Financial reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $301.23.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 business's 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. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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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