Symmetry Partners LLC Has $28.36 Million Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Symmetry Partners LLC trimmed its Apple stake by 3% in the fourth quarter, but still held 104,303 shares worth about $28.36 million, making Apple its 18th-largest position.
• Apple continues to attract strong institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors holding 67.73% of the company’s stock despite some recent portfolio adjustments.
• Insider activity was mixed but leaned toward selling, with recent trades including Ben Borders and Deirdre O’Brien, while Apple’s broader outlook remains supported by positive AI and WWDC-related expectations.

Symmetry Partners LLC decreased its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,303 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 3,237 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 1.7% of Symmetry Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Symmetry Partners LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $28,356,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of Apple by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 142,375 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $38,706,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $30,124,000. Hobart Private Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 58.8% in the 4th quarter. Hobart Private Capital LLC now owns 15,855 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $4,310,000 after purchasing an additional 5,871 shares during the period. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH boosted its position in shares of Apple by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH now owns 166,435 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $45,450,000 after purchasing an additional 1,727 shares during the period. Finally, TME Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Apple by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. TME Financial Inc. now owns 1,475 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the insider directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm'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 sale, 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 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. Insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $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 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

Apple Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $298.87 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $263.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $267.00. The company has a market cap 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. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $193.46 and a 1 year high of $300.92.

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

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price target on Apple in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Maxim Group raised Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, KGI Securities raised Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $305.74.

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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