Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 594,115 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock, valued at approximately $161,516,000. Apple accounts for about 1.6% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. First National Bank of Hutchinson boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,845,000 after buying an additional 6,982 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 69,207 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Apple by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $16,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Apple Trading Down 0.0%
Shares of Apple stock opened at $260.48 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.06 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $3.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $260.76 and a 200 day moving average of $263.73.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The business 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 business’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Apple Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 13.15%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research firms have recently commented on AAPL. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.23.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Apple
Apple News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Market share gains: Counterpoint/Reuters data show Apple led global smartphone shipments in Q1 with about 21% share and 5% year‑over‑year growth — a signal of resilient iPhone demand that underpins revenue and margin outlooks. Apple leads global smartphone shipments
- Positive Sentiment: Supplier strength: TSMC reported a 35% jump in Q1 revenue on AI chip demand — good for Apple’s advanced chip supply continuity and pricing leverage for devices using leading-node silicon. TSMC revenue surges
- Positive Sentiment: Services distribution lift: Apple TV becoming available as a paid add‑on on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. expands services reach and monetization channels for Apple’s content/subscription ecosystem. Apple TV lands on Amazon Prime Video
- Neutral Sentiment: Options activity: Reports of unusual bullish options flow suggest some investors are positioning for upside, but options can amplify short‑term moves without changing fundamentals. Unusual Activity in Apple Options Today
- Neutral Sentiment: Institutional moves: Coverage notes Israel Englander trimmed a Millennium position and other filings show insider sales — routine portfolio rebalancing that merits monitoring but not necessarily a directional signal alone. Israel Englander Trims Stake
- Negative Sentiment: Retail/ labor risk: Apple will close three U.S. mall stores in June including its first unionized location in Towson, Maryland. The move raises labor‑relations and PR concerns and highlights brick‑and‑mortar pressure — a small revenue line but reputational and employee‑relation risk. Apple to shutter its first unionized US store
- Negative Sentiment: Earnings/forecast downside: Jefferies flagged a possible slight March‑quarter miss (weaker iPhone sales, higher memory costs) and Erste lowered FY2027 EPS estimates — both could pressure near‑term sentiment ahead of formal guidance. Apple set to deliver slight earnings miss
- Negative Sentiment: Product timing concerns: Ongoing reports about foldable iPhone technical challenges and potential delays keep some investors cautious about the next major product catalyst. Foldable iPhone remains on track
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at $833,980,668.14. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 30,002 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents 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. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
About Apple
(Free Report)
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.
Featured Stories
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report).
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider Apple, you’ll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street’s top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on… and Apple wasn’t on the list.
While Apple currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Wondering where to start (or end) with AI stocks? These 10 simple stocks can help investors build long-term wealth as artificial intelligence continues to grow into the future.
Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat’s full suite of research tools.
Featured By
345 N Reid Place, Suite 620, Sioux Falls, SD 57103
contact@marketbeat.com
(844) 978-6257
© MarketBeat Media, LLC 2010-2026. All rights reserved.
© 2026 Fair market value prices are updated every minute and are provided by Massive. Other market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided ‘as-is’ and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see Barchart’s disclaimer.
My Account –
