Blue Square Asset Management LLC Purchases 4,338 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Blue Square Asset Management raised its Apple stake by 15.3% in Q4, adding 4,338 shares to hold 32,612 shares worth about $8.87M, representing ~3.9% of the fund and its 7th largest position.
• Insider sales: CEO Tim Cook sold 64,949 shares (~$16.51M) and SVP Deirdre O’Brien sold 30,002 shares (~$7.66M) on April 2 under pre-arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plans, with insiders now owning 0.06% of Apple.
• Market context: Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $301.33 target, and recent data (including a ~20% jump in iPhone shipments in China) bolster the growth narrative ahead of earnings.

Blue Square Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,612 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 4,338 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 3.9% of Blue Square Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Blue Square Asset Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $8,866,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ASL Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $5,115,000. MRA Advisory Group raised its holdings in Apple by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. MRA Advisory Group now owns 17,720 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $4,817,000 after buying an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. M3 Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. M3 Advisory Group LLC now owns 16,906 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $4,596,000 after buying an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Forte Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Forte Asset Management LLC now owns 9,778 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,658,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Udine Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Apple by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Udine Wealth Management Inc. now owns 72,503 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $19,711,000 after buying an additional 1,852 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, 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 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 represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 business'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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% 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 owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Apple from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $301.33.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Counterpoint/Reuters data show iPhone shipments in China jumped ~20% in Q1 — far outpacing the market and supporting Apple’s revenue and share‑gain narrative in its largest smartphone market. Apple's iPhone shipments in China surge 20% in Q1, data shows
• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas upgraded AAPL to Outperform and raised its price target (citing supply‑chain strength and a premium mix benefit as memory prices rise), which helped lift sentiment and buy‑side interest. Apple Upgraded To Outperform As BNP Sees Share Gains From Memory Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target and highlighted Apple’s M5/edge‑AI roadmap as a meaningful product/AI catalyst — reinforcing the case for multiple expansion if product momentum continues. Bank of America Increases Apple Price Target to $325
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy call‑option activity and structured trades around Apple’s April 30 earnings show traders positioning for a big move; options can amplify returns but also add short‑term volatility risk. Apple Stock Trade Risk Around Earnings Offers A 27% Reward
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate moves — a leadership transition in Wearables/Home and Project Glasswing (an AI security alliance) — underline long‑term product and services initiatives but are unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Apple’s Wearables Shakeup And AI Security Push Shape Long Term Story
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory and component costs remain a two‑edged sword — while some analysts argue it improves Apple’s competitive positioning, higher input prices can compress margins if the premium mix or pricing power softens. Apple Upgrade Hinges on Cost Advantage Shift
• Negative Sentiment: TSMC’s strong AI‑driven results and supply comments briefly pressured AAPL aftermarket moves (market reads TSMC commentary as mixed signal for margins/supply dynamics). Also expect volatility into the April 30 earnings print. TSMC’s Results Weren’t a Great Sign for Apple

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $270.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.97 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.11. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $189.81 and a 52 week high of $288.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $259.72 and a 200-day moving average of $264.04.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 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 company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Apple 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.