Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Position Boosted by Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.

Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 6.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,593 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 3,851 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 5.6% of Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $15,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First National Bank of Hutchinson boosted its holdings in Apple by 24.6% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 0.5% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 14.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Apple by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $16,742,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,155 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on Apple from $250.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $296.07.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $263.75 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.21 and a twelve month high of $288.62. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $264.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $260.05.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. Apple’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given 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%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New MacBook Air/Pro lineup with M5 chips and revamped Studio Displays reinforces Apple’s device‑level AI strategy and supports higher ASPs and services attachment. Apple launches new generation of MacBook laptops
• Positive Sentiment: Apple introduced a lower‑cost iPhone 17e (starting $599) and upgraded iPad Air, which should help defend share in price‑sensitive markets and broaden upgrade cycles. Apple launches iPhone 17e
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America keeps a Buy rating and $325 price target, citing sustained services momentum and device‑level AI upside — a bullish analyst endorsement for medium‑term upside. BofA maintains Buy on Apple
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data showed a reported large increase but the published figures read as 0 shares/NaN (days‑to‑cover 0.0) — likely a reporting glitch, so no clear bearish signal from short sellers at this time.
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target modestly (from $239 to $248) but kept an “underweight” rating — a mixed signal (higher PT but continued cautious stance). Barclays raises PT but stays underweight
• Negative Sentiment: Apple increased MacBook prices (Air up ~$100; Pro up more, some models +$400) as memory‑chip shortages and rising component costs push up ASPs — this can boost near‑term revenue but risks dampening unit demand and margin visibility. Apple raises MacBook prices amid chip shortage
• Negative Sentiment: Warren Buffett/Berkshire materially trimmed its Apple stake (reports say a ~75% sale in his final filings), a high‑profile shareholder reduction that can amplify near‑term selling pressure and sentiment risk. How Berkshire Hathaway performed during Buffett’s final quarter

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.