Banque Pictet & Cie SA Has $156.55 Million Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Banque Pictet & Cie SA increased its Apple stake by 73.6% in Q4 to 575,833 shares worth $156.55 million, making AAPL about 0.9% of the firm's portfolio and its 14th-largest holding.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Apple with a MarketBeat average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $301.37, while several firms (e.g., Bank of America) have recently raised targets (BofA to $325).
• Apple recently posted a quarterly beat—$2.84 EPS vs. $2.67 expected and $143.76 billion in revenue (+15.7% YoY)—and trades with a roughly $3.8 trillion market cap and a 0.4% dividend yield.

Banque Pictet & Cie SA lifted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 73.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 575,833 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 244,124 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 0.9% of Banque Pictet & Cie SA's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Banque Pictet & Cie SA's holdings in Apple were worth $156,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,400,790,809 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $311,157,662,000 after acquiring an additional 5,005,297 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 601,249,995 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $123,358,461,000 after buying an additional 5,224,229 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 354,749,794 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $72,506,336,000 after buying an additional 4,942,638 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,942,255,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Apple by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,918,365,000 after buying an additional 20,079,472 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on AAPL shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Apple from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Apple from $267.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $301.37.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target to $325 and kept a "buy" rating, citing strong iPhone momentum, Services growth and favorable FX — a bullish catalyst ahead of Apple's earnings. Apple price target raised ahead of earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Amazon's $11.6B acquisition of Globalstar redraws the satellite connectivity landscape Apple relies on for iPhone/Watch emergency features; Apple has secured continuity for service but faces strategic exposure to a competitor-controlled network. Amazon Buys Globalstar
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say iPhone Fold production was pushed back but the launch remains on track for fall 2026 — a delay risk for supply/timing but still keeps the new product narrative intact. iPhone Fold Production Pushed Back
• Negative Sentiment: A fake Ledger Live app on the App Store was tied to roughly $9.5M in crypto thefts — raises fresh questions about App Store review controls and potential regulatory scrutiny. Fake Ledger Live app drained $9.5M
• Negative Sentiment: Apple will close three retail stores — including its first unionized location — prompting union-busting claims and potential PR/regulatory headlines. Apple closing 3 stores
• Negative Sentiment: Apple's head of AI is reportedly leaving the company, which adds pressure as investors watch Apple’s ability to execute on generative-AI features and products. Apple head of AI is leaving

Apple Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $258.75 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.11. 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 business's 50-day moving average is $260.32 and its 200-day moving average is $263.92. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $189.81 and a 1 year high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The firm's revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.40 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid 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 payout ratio is currently 13.15%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the company'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 transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a 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, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $833,980,668.14. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 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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