Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by D.A. Davidson & CO.

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson & CO. reduced its Apple stake by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,560 shares. The fund still held 1,496,845 shares valued at about $406.9 million, making Apple its 6th-largest holding.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.01 versus expectations of $1.95 and revenue of $111.18 billion, both ahead of estimates. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year, and analysts expect full-year EPS of 8.74.
• Apple raised its dividend and continues to draw mixed-but-generally positive analyst sentiment. The quarterly payout increased to $0.27 per share from $0.26, while the consensus Wall Street rating remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $310.31.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,496,845 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 16,560 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 2.5% of D.A. Davidson & CO.'s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Apple were worth $406,932,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. First National Bank of Hutchinson raised its stake in Apple by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,982 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Apple by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $13,544,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Apple by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $134,554,000 after purchasing an additional 69,207 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Apple by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $16,742,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE raised its stake in Apple by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $12,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $308.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.53 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm's 50 day moving average is $271.87 and its 200 day moving average is $269.16. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $195.07 and a 1 year high of $311.82.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The firm's revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.65 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple's payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on AAPL shares. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (up from $350.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $296.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $310.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded shares of Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $310.31.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Apple to $380 from $330 and kept a Buy rating, saying Apple is well positioned to benefit from the emerging “agentic AI” smartphone market and could unlock substantial new revenue from a redesigned Siri and AI features. Apple seen as key beneficiary of emerging agentic AI smartphone market, BofA says
• Positive Sentiment: Other Wall Street coverage echoed that view, with reports saying Apple is hitting all-time highs as investors expect a deeper AI push at WWDC, which could improve sentiment and support further upside. Apple stock hits all-time high as analysts see AI-driven breakout
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also highlighted strong underlying fundamentals, including record Services revenue and continued strength in iPhone sales, reinforcing the long-term growth case for Apple. Strong Content & Advertising Aids Apple's Services: More Upside Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple and Google are pushing back against Canada’s proposed police data-access bill, a regulatory issue that could affect the company’s privacy stance but is not an immediate earnings driver. Apple, Google Blast Canada’s Plan to Expand Police Data Powers
• Negative Sentiment: One potential headwind came from an article noting iPhone 17e sales in Japan have slowed versus its predecessor, which could raise questions about demand in some markets. The Real Reason The iPhone 17e Is Falling Behind Its Predecessor In Japan

Apple Company 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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