Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 30,794 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Stratos Wealth Advisors increased its Apple stake by 13.1% in Q4, buying 30,794 shares to hold 265,193 shares worth $72.095 million, making Apple about 3.5% of its portfolio and its second-largest position.
• Insider sales occurred on April 2 under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans: SVP Deirdre O'Brien sold 30,002 shares and CEO Tim Cook sold 64,949 shares, modestly reducing their holdings; insiders now own roughly 0.06% of Apple.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $301.33, as several firms raised ratings or targets (e.g., Morgan Stanley, Bank of America).

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 265,193 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 30,794 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 3.5% of Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $72,095,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 110.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 1st quarter worth about $99,000. Finally, Miller Global Investments LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $127,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Maxim Group raised Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, December 29th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $301.33.

Apple News Summary

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

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $270.23 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.97 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.16, a P/E/G 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 business's 50-day moving average is $259.72 and its 200-day moving average is $264.17. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $189.81 and a 1 year high of $288.62.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The firm's revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.40 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Apple's payout ratio is currently 13.15%.

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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