Hobart Private Capital LLC Raises Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Hobart Private Capital LLC boosted its Apple stake by 58.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 5,871 more shares and bringing its holdings to 15,855 shares worth about $4.31 million.
• Apple reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.01 versus the $1.95 estimate and revenue of $111.18 billion, while quarterly revenue rose 16.6% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26, even as insiders sold shares recently and analysts maintained a generally Moderate Buy outlook with a consensus target price of $305.74.

Hobart Private Capital LLC increased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 58.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,855 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 5,871 shares during the quarter. Hobart Private Capital LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $4,310,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its holdings in Apple by 24.6% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 0.5% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 14.8% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 4.2% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its holdings in Apple by 2.4% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,226,770. The trade was a 3.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $298.87 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $193.46 and a 1 year high of $300.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company's 50-day moving average is $263.92 and its 200 day moving average is $267.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.39 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.06.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly preparing major iPhone software changes, including a more customizable Camera app, a rebuilt Siri, and broader interface updates, which investors view as a sign the company is sharpening its product roadmap ahead of future iPhone and WWDC-related announcements. Apple Stock Is Gaining Today: What's Happening Behind The Scenes?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is being helped by rising AI optimism, with commentary highlighting strong iPhone demand, solid Services performance, and potential AI partnerships such as Google Gemini, all of which support the case for continued upside. Ca$htag$: AAPL Hits Record High as AI Optimism Grows
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also getting support from reports that WWDC could be a major catalyst if it resets the market’s AI expectations and strengthens confidence in future software and ecosystem growth. The Event That Could Redefine Apple’s Summer Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s efforts to expand the App Store for autonomous AI agents suggest the company is trying to capture more of the next wave of AI-powered software while maintaining its security standards. Apple Prepares App Store for Autonomous AI Agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s participation in U.S.-China diplomatic and business discussions could matter for supply-chain and market-access issues, but the near-term financial impact is still uncertain. Trump Arrives in Beijing for High-Stakes Xi Summit Focused on Trade, AI, and Iran
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Apple is opposing EU AI-related measures and arguing they could hurt privacy and security are more about regulatory positioning than an immediate earnings driver. Apple criticises EU measures to help AI rivals access Google services
• Negative Sentiment: Fresh tariff headlines could keep pressure on Apple’s hardware costs and supply chain if higher import duties remain in place for longer. Appeals Court Temporarily Reinstates Trump’s 10% Global Tariffs
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling, including a modest sale by Ben Borders, may slightly temper sentiment, though it is small relative to Apple’s size and the broader bullish backdrop. SEC insider filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AAPL. UBS Group set a $296.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.74.

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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