West Financial Advisors LLC Sells 2,622 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• West Financial Advisors reduced its Apple stake by 14.2%, selling 2,622 shares in Q4 and now holds 15,876 shares worth $4.316 million, about 0.7% of its portfolio and its 19th largest position.
• Apple beat expectations for the quarter with EPS $2.84 vs. $2.67 expected and revenue of $143.76 billion (up 15.7% year‑over‑year), indicating stronger‑than‑anticipated growth.
• High‑profile insider sales occurred on April 2—SVP Deirdre O’Brien (30,002 shares) and CEO Tim Cook (64,949 shares)—executed under pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plans, while analysts hold a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average target of $297.58.

West Financial Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 14.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 15,876 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,622 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 0.7% of West Financial Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. West Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $4,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Overbrook Management Corp lifted its stake in Apple by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Overbrook Management Corp now owns 104,648 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $28,449,000 after acquiring an additional 38,174 shares during the period. Monarch Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Apple by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $13,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,920 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $101,301,000 after purchasing an additional 8,446 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its holdings in 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 worth $363,256,000 after purchasing an additional 465,393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tufton Capital Management lifted its position 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 worth $25,496,000 after purchasing an additional 4,157 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $255.92 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.21 and a twelve month high of $288.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $3.76 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.11. The stock's 50 day moving average is $260.67 and its 200 day moving average is $263.38.

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. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The business had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. This represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $833,980,668.14. The trade was a 1.94% 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. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AAPL. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. KGI Securities raised Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Maxim Group upgraded Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price 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 given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $297.58.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Top investor endorsement — Billionaire Ken Griffin lists Apple among his five best stock picks, highlighting institutional conviction and potential buying support. 5 Best Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Ken Griffin
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing — Bank of America reiterates a Buy and cites accelerating services growth and on‑device AI upside, supporting a premium valuation thesis and positive analyst flow. Apple: Accelerating Services Growth and On‑Device AI Upside Support Premium Valuation and Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. manufacturing boost — Apple expands its U.S. manufacturing program with a reported $400M investment, a politically favorable move that can reduce supply risk and support margin/PR. Apple Inc. (AAPL) expands US manufacturing program with $400M investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive narrative around Apple at 50 — Extensive coverage of Apple’s 50th anniversary reminds investors of the company’s long-term durability, but raises governance/succession questions that are medium‑term rather than catalytic. Apple At 50 Weighs AI Partnerships Satellite Ties And Succession
• Neutral Sentiment: AI positioning debate — Coverage highlights a strategic pivot toward opening Siri to third‑party AI assistants and other AI moves; this reduces long-term AI execution risk but timing and monetization remain uncertain. Apple's AI Strategy Is Pivoting. Here's Why That Could Be Great News for the Stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Satellite dependency risk — Reports that Amazon is in talks to buy Globalstar (Apple’s satellite partner for Emergency SOS/messaging) raise competitive and supply‑chain uncertainty for Apple’s satellite features. Amazon Lines Up Deal to Rival SpaceX's Starlink: Report. Why Apple Could Be a Problem.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation pressure — Commentary points to a rich trailing and forward P/E (high 20s–30s) that’s prompting profit‑taking and making AAPL sensitive to any slowdown in growth or disappointment on AI execution. Is Apple Stock Overvalued Or Undervalued?
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical / macro risk — Headlines about potential targeting of U.S. tech firms and broader Mag‑7 weakness amplify downside risk if tensions or macro selloffs persist. AAPL Stock on Watch: Iran Threatens Retaliatory Strikes Could Hit Apple Next

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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