Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Trimmed by Weatherly Asset Management L. P.

Key Points

• Weatherly Asset Management trimmed its Apple stake by 1.3% in Q4, selling 4,240 shares and now holds 331,250 shares worth $90,054,000, with Apple representing 6.9% of its portfolio as its second-largest holding.
• Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $301.37 average price target, while several firms have raised targets to $315–$325 after Apple reported Q1 revenue and EPS that beat expectations.
• Insider activity included CEO Timothy D. Cook selling 64,949 shares (~$16.5M) and SVP Deirdre O'Brien selling 30,002 shares (~$7.7M) under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, and company insiders now hold about 0.06% of outstanding stock.

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. reduced its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 331,250 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 4,240 shares during the period. Apple comprises 6.9% of Weatherly Asset Management L. P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.'s holdings in Apple were worth $90,054,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. RHS Financial LLC increased its stake in Apple by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. RHS Financial LLC now owns 16,196 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $4,403,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. Powerhouse Assets LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $659,000. Retireful LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $750,000. Hengehold Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Apple by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 29,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $7,892,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, Trinity Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Apple by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Trinity Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,063 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,008,000 after buying an additional 754 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $301.37.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BofA raises Apple price target to $325 and keeps a buy stance, citing expected strong iPhone demand and Services momentum ahead of the company’s Q2 results — a near‑term catalyst for investor optimism. Apple (AAPL) Stock Gets BofA Price Target Boost to $325 on Strong iPhone Projections
• Neutral Sentiment: Amazon’s $11.6B acquisition of Globalstar reshapes the satellite landscape Apple uses for iPhone/Watch emergency and direct‑to‑device features; Market reaction is mixed — it creates dependency risk but also accelerates the addressable market for satellite-enabled services (a potential Services upside long term). Amazon Could Globalstar Be the Missing Spark the Stock Needs
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports confirm Apple’s foldable iPhone remains slated for a fall 2026 debut despite some production timing shifts — positive for long‑term product cycle and premium device market share, but may pressure near‑term supply visibility. iPhone Fold Production Pushed Back, But Fall 2026 Launch Still on Track - MacRumors
• Negative Sentiment: Security lapse: a fake Ledger Live wallet app made it onto the App Store and was tied to roughly $9.5M in crypto theft; Apple removed the app and terminated the developer — raises App Store review/security scrutiny and reputational/regulatory risk. Apple removes fake Ledger app that stole $9.5M from crypto investors
• Negative Sentiment: Management/AI execution risk: Apple’s head of AI has departed, increasing short‑term execution pressure as investors watch the company’s AI roadmap and product timing. In Major Blow, Apple’s (AAPL) Head of AI Is Leaving the Company
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory overhang: a lawsuit alleges Apple Pay enabled frequent gambling transactions; plus reports of store closures (including a unionized location) could draw regulatory and PR attention. Apple lawsuit puts Apple Pay controls and services valuation in focus

Apple Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $258.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $260.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $263.92. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.11. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $189.81 and a 12 month high of $288.62.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at $833,980,668.14. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 the stock in a transaction 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 owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. This represents a 17.99% 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. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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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