Pictet North America Advisors SA Sells 4,828 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Pictet North America Advisors SA trimmed its Apple stake by 7.6%, selling 4,828 shares and now owning 58,859 shares worth about $16.0M, roughly 1.5% of its portfolio.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” on AAPL with an average price target of $301.37, though individual targets range from about $248 to $325 after recent revisions.
• Apple beat its last-quarter EPS and revenue estimates (EPS $2.84 vs. $2.67; revenue $143.76B) but faces near-term risks including iPhone Fold production delays, App Store security concerns, store closures/union issues and the reported departure of its head of AI.

Pictet North America Advisors SA reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,859 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 4,828 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 1.5% of Pictet North America Advisors SA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Pictet North America Advisors SA's holdings in Apple were worth $16,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. First National Bank of Hutchinson raised its position 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 valued at $8,845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,982 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its position in Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $13,544,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Apple by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $134,554,000 after purchasing an additional 69,207 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Apple by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $16,742,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE raised its position 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 valued at $12,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 price objective (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $239.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $301.37.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target to $325 and kept a "buy" rating, citing strong iPhone momentum, Services growth and favorable FX — a bullish catalyst ahead of Apple's earnings. Apple price target raised ahead of earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Amazon's $11.6B acquisition of Globalstar redraws the satellite connectivity landscape Apple relies on for iPhone/Watch emergency features; Apple has secured continuity for service but faces strategic exposure to a competitor-controlled network. Amazon Buys Globalstar
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say iPhone Fold production was pushed back but the launch remains on track for fall 2026 — a delay risk for supply/timing but still keeps the new product narrative intact. iPhone Fold Production Pushed Back
• Negative Sentiment: A fake Ledger Live app on the App Store was tied to roughly $9.5M in crypto thefts — raises fresh questions about App Store review controls and potential regulatory scrutiny. Fake Ledger Live app drained $9.5M
• Negative Sentiment: Apple will close three retail stores — including its first unionized location — prompting union-busting claims and potential PR/regulatory headlines. Apple closing 3 stores
• Negative Sentiment: Apple's head of AI is reportedly leaving the company, which adds pressure as investors watch Apple’s ability to execute on generative-AI features and products. Apple head of AI is leaving

Apple Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $258.75 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $260.32 and a 200-day moving average of $263.92. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.11. 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 $189.81 and a 52-week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Company 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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