Ervin Investment Management LLC Reduces Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Ervin Investment Management LLC trimmed its Apple stake by 4% in Q4, selling 2,142 shares and now owning 51,250 shares worth about $13.93 million (≈7.8% of its portfolio and its third-largest holding).
• Insider selling has been notable: CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares (~$275 each) and CEO Tim Cook sold 64,949 shares (~$254.23 each), with insiders offloading 96,485 shares valued at $24.59 million in the past 90 days (insiders own 0.06%).
• Analysts remain generally positive with a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $304.31; Apple also beat quarterly EPS/revenue estimates, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27, and recent headlines cite a new $100 billion buyback authorization.

Ervin Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,250 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,142 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 7.8% of Ervin Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Ervin Investment Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $13,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Moffett Nathanson upped their target price on Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on Apple from $268.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. KGI Securities upgraded Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Apple from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $304.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at $833,980,668.14. This 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. Insiders have sold 96,485 shares of company stock valued at $24,594,845 over the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $276.73 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 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. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $193.25 and a 1-year high of $288.62. The business's 50 day moving average is $260.73 and its 200-day moving average is $265.27.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 12.58%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Better-than-expected results and a strong near-term revenue forecast boosted investor confidence; management cited benefit from new March products. Apple Delivers Strong Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Apple authorized a fresh $100 billion buyback and has massive free cash flow, supporting shareholder returns and reducing downside risk. Apple Just Gave Investors a $100 Billion Reason to Rethink the AI Spending Race
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and strategists are upping targets and highlighting App Store/services growth, providing near-term bullish research momentum. Price Target Hike / App Store Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Product roadmap/AI push — iOS 27 and related AI features are being highlighted as potential catalysts for higher engagement and monetization. More AI Is Coming to iOS 27
• Positive Sentiment: New wallet/payments features (turning QR codes into Wallet passes) could broaden payment use-cases and stickiness for Apple’s ecosystem. Apple Aims to Turn Every QR Code Into a Wallet Pass
• Neutral Sentiment: Services remain a growth anchor even as App Store download dynamics shift — analysts expect steady services growth that helps the margin profile. Services Strength Offsets Slower App Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand and PR items (e.g., new Pride band) support image but have limited direct financial impact. Apple's New Rainbow Pride Band
• Negative Sentiment: Chip and memory supply issues are constraining iPhone availability, capping near-term upside and creating margin pressure as component costs rise. Apple Can't Meet Demand For iPhones Due To Chip Shortages
• Negative Sentiment: App Store policy enforcement is drawing complaints from startups — regulatory and developer friction could attract scrutiny or hurt ecosystem sentiment. Apple's Stance on Vibe Coding Apps Leaves Startups Frustrated
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution (Hold calls) citing rising memory costs and notable insider selling add near-term selling pressure and justify valuation skepticism. Hold Rating: Margin Risks from Rising Memory Costs

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.

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