JB Capital LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• JB Capital LLC cut its Apple stake by 8.2% in Q4, selling 11,785 shares and now holds 131,912 shares worth about $35.86M (≈1.5% of its portfolio; 14th largest holding).
• Apple beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $2.84 vs. $2.67 and revenue of $143.76B vs. $138.25B (revenue +15.7% YoY), and the stock carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of $301.33.
• Near‑term catalysts include a ~20% surge in iPhone shipments in China and fresh analyst target upgrades (several to $315–$325), though heavy options activity and rising component costs may increase volatility and margin risk.

JB Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 131,912 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 11,785 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 1.5% of JB Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. JB Capital LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $35,862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Overbrook Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Apple by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Overbrook Management Corp now owns 104,648 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $28,449,000 after acquiring an additional 38,174 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 2.2% in 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 period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in shares of Apple by 48.4% in 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 period. Tufton Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Apple by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tufton Capital Management now owns 100,130 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $25,496,000 after acquiring an additional 4,157 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Apple by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 734,485 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $187,022,000 after acquiring an additional 27,445 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Stephens set a $315.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $301.33.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $270.23 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $189.81 and a 12-month high of $288.62. The company has a market capitalization of $3.97 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $259.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $264.17.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.40 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $833,980,668.14. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

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

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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