First Trust Advisors LP Has $1.08 Billion Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP holds 4,234,034 Apple shares worth about $1.08 billion, representing roughly 0.8% of its holdings and making AAPL its 10th-largest position.
• Apple launched the budget $599 MacBook Neo, receiving positive reviews and analyst forecasts of 4–5 million shipments this year, while new Indian manufacturing incentives support a continued shift of iPhone assembly to India, reducing China concentration risk.
• Apple has a $3.75 trillion market cap, a premium P/E (~32x), recent share repurchases (reported ~$24B), strong cash flow and a $1.04 annual dividend, but faces near-term risks from China iPhone weakness, supplier cost pressure and limited near-term catalysts cited by some analysts.

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,234,034 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 16,301 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 0.8% of First Trust Advisors LP's holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in Apple were worth $1,078,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. lifted its holdings in Apple by 13.2% in the second quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. now owns 3,552 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $729,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. Monarch Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Apple by 4.6% in the second quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $13,740,000 after acquiring an additional 2,920 shares during the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 17.9% during the 2nd quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 2.2% during 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. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MacBook Neo launch — Apple unveiled the $599 MacBook Neo aimed at education and budget buyers; reviewers (including MKBHD) praise it as highly disruptive, which could expand unit volumes and market share. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect meaningful initial units — Some research notes forecast 4–5 million MacBook Neo shipments this year, suggesting upside to Mac revenue if adoption meets expectations. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: India manufacturing incentives — New Indian incentives to boost local phone production support Apple’s ongoing shift of iPhone assembly to India, reducing China concentration risk and potentially lowering tariff exposure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Buyback and cash flow support — Coverage highlights a large share‑repurchase (reported $24B) and strong free cash flow that help support the stock through market volatility, but these are longer‑term cushions rather than immediate catalysts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears noisy — Reports show a large "increase" in short interest but the underlying data is zero/NaN, indicating a likely reporting glitch rather than a substantive change in bearish positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: China shipment weakness — UBS reiterated a Hold citing sharp declines in iPhone shipments in China, a direct hit to growth expectations for Apple’s largest hardware category. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Supplier cost pressure — Samsung Display’s CEO warned that higher oil and chip prices (and related supply‑cost inflation) could increase component costs for phones and laptops, pressuring margins industrywide. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and "no catalyst" views — Coverage notes AAPL trades at a premium P/E versus peers and some analysts say there's no near‑term catalyst to justify further multiple expansion, leaving the stock vulnerable to broader market weakness. Article Title

Apple Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $255.76 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.75 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.10. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $262.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $261.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.21 and a 52-week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. The business's revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued 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 presently 13.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Loop Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $325.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Rosenblatt Securities raised 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. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 target price on Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $297.58.

About Apple

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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