Apple Inc. $AAPL is Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV’s 8th Largest Position

Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV lifted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 9.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 34,809 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,901 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 3.4% of Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV’s holdings in Apple were worth $8,863,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 333.3% in the second quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Apple by 41.0% in the 2nd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 1st quarter worth approximately $99,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $291.70.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and CEO optimism reinforce growth thesis — Apple reported stronger‑than‑expected revenue and iPhone sales, and recent coverage highlights positive messages from Tim Cook that helped lift investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts reiterate bullish stances and high targets — firms including Evercore and Wedbush have kept Outperform/Outweight calls and some high price targets, supporting the view that upside remains despite a choppy tech tape. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative favors Apple’s cautious AI stance — several pieces credit Apple’s measured spending on AI (versus heavy, early AI bets) with making it a relative winner amid the recent tech selloff. That rotation into quality helps justify the stock’s resilience. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: EU signals lower regulatory risk for Apple Ads/Maps — the European Commission said Apple Ads and Maps need not be designated under the Digital Markets Act, reducing potential regulatory constraints in the region. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Manning & Napier added to its Apple stake — small but supportive signal that some managers are adding exposure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Memory‑chip shortage poses a mixed picture — a global memory supply squeeze could push iPhone prices higher (supporting revenue/margins) but risks dampening demand if Apple passes costs to consumers. Monitor pricing vs. unit trends and margin guidance. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Partner/AI dynamics remain opaque — Alphabet declined to discuss its AI arrangement with Apple on an earnings call, leaving some questions about how Apple sources large‑model capabilities for Siri and services. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling and institutional flows are mixed — data aggregators show notable insider sales over the past year and large institutional rebalances; these are worth watching but not an immediate directional signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple scaled back its AI health‑coach project (code‑named Mulberry) — winding down the initiative highlights the challenge of converting health tracking into a paid service and is a setback for wearables/services expansion. That raises questions about near‑term services monetization from health AI. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish takes remind investors of valuation and execution risks — some analysts and independent bear cases point to stretched multiples and potential headwinds (AI execution, saturation in some hardware lines). These perspectives could cap upside until growth proof accumulates. Read More.

Apple Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $275.91 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $169.21 and a 1 year high of $288.62. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $268.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $253.17. The company has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.88, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.15%.

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.