Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Lowered by Ledyard National Bank

Key Points

• Ledyard National Bank trimmed its Apple stake by 2.0%, selling 4,737 shares and now holds 235,859 shares worth about $64.12 million, with Apple making up roughly 5.5% of the bank's portfolio (its third-largest position).
• Apple reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results — $2.84 EPS vs. $2.67 consensus and $143.76 billion revenue (up 15.7% YoY) — and trades with a market cap near $3.98 trillion and a MarketBeat consensus target of about $303.06 ("Moderate Buy").
• Market sentiment is mixed: insiders (including Tim Cook) sold shares under pre‑arranged 10b5‑1 plans and media reports say Berkshire Hathaway cut roughly 75% of its Apple holding, even as product demand and a CEO succession plan lend positive momentum.

Ledyard National Bank cut its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 235,859 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 4,737 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 5.5% of Ledyard National Bank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Ledyard National Bank's holdings in Apple were worth $64,121,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Overbrook Management Corp raised its stake 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 worth $28,449,000 after buying an additional 38,174 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Apple by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $101,301,000 after acquiring an additional 8,446 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 465,393 shares in the last quarter. Tufton Capital Management increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 4,157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its position in Apple by 3.9% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 734,485 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $187,022,000 after acquiring an additional 27,445 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL stock opened at $271.06 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $260.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $264.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.98 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.27, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.11. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $193.25 and a one year high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The company had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.52 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 13.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Apple from $239.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $268.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $303.06.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. This trade 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong product demand: Apple’s $599 M4 Mac mini has sold out online amid an AI-driven upswing in mac‑mini interest, signalling healthy hardware demand ahead of upcoming results. Good luck getting a Mac Mini anytime soon
• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism around new CEO: John Ternus was named CEO effective September 1; several pieces highlight why investors should be encouraged (hardware pedigree, potential renewed product focus). That optimism supports a constructive view on future device cycles. 2 Reasons Investors Should Be Excited for the New Apple CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and market support ahead of earnings: Firms including Wedbush and others have reiterated favorable views or buying interest into the earnings cadence and iPhone cycle, lending some near‑term support. Wedbush Reaffirms Outperform for Apple
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO succession — expectations and risks: Coverage (FT, NYT, Motley Fool) lays out the transition details and the main tasks for John Ternus; this is a material change but many view it as orderly for now. The Apple juggernaut and the AI roadblock
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data is noisy/unclear this month (reported values are effectively zero/invalid), so it provides little actionable signal today.
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway selling: Reports show Warren Buffett’s group cut a large portion (~75%) of its Apple stake and redeployed funds into Chubb — a headline catalyst for today’s selling and a signal that a major, long‑held holder is trimming exposure. Warren Buffett Quietly Sold 75% of His Biggest Holding
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/AI execution risks: India’s antitrust probe of the App Store and persistent questions about Apple’s AI/Siri progress and executive departures raise execution and legal-risk concerns that could pressure multiple quarters. Indian Antitrust Push Tests Apple App Store Model

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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