PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Acquires New Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab disclosed a new stake in Apple, buying 8.64 million shares worth about $2.36 billion. The position makes Apple its second-largest holding and about 6.7% of its portfolio.
• Apple continues to attract strong institutional interest, with firms like Norges Bank, Nuveen, Vanguard, and Northern Trust all adding or holding large positions. In total, 67.73% of Apple shares are owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Apple, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $310.31. Recent coverage highlights optimism around Apple’s upcoming AI-focused WWDC announcements and Apple Intelligence-driven product upgrades.

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,639,269 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $2,359,212,000. Apple comprises about 6.7% of PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab's investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab owned about 0.06% of Apple as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $17,472,482,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Apple by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,918,365,000 after purchasing an additional 20,079,472 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $335.00 price target (up from $325.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 price target (up from $350.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $365.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $310.31.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s upcoming WWDC is expected to showcase a major Siri AI overhaul and broader iOS AI upgrades, reinforcing expectations for a stronger AI product cycle. Apple to Unveil Siri’s AI Overhaul at June Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are increasingly bullish that Apple’s ecosystem could benefit from agentic AI, with Bank of America reportedly lifting its price target and pointing to user identity, payments, and app access as key advantages. Bank of America Raises Its Apple Stock Price Target to $380. Agentic AI Could Be the Upside Driver.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple pieces highlight Apple as a momentum stock and suggest Apple Intelligence could drive iPhone and Mac upgrades, which supports the case for further revenue growth. Apple Intelligence Drives Up iPhone & Mac Sales: More Upside Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Leak-driven coverage around the iPhone 18 Pro’s rumored colors and camera changes is generating buzz, but it is too early to be a major fundamental stock driver. iPhone 18 Pro dummy units reveal four color options [Gallery] - 9to5Mac
• Negative Sentiment: Some technical commentary warns Apple is approaching long-term resistance and may need a consolidation period after a strong run, which could limit near-term upside. Apple (AAPL) Faces $355 Barrier at Top of Its Multi-Year Uptrend Structure

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $312.06 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $195.07 and a twelve month high of $315.00. The company's 50 day moving average is $275.43 and its 200 day moving average is $270.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $4.58 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 13.06%.

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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