Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Holdings Lessened by Sharper & Granite LLC

Sharper & Granite LLC cut its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,242 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,515 shares during the quarter. Sharper & Granite LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 10,609 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,701,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 21,041 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,358,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Apple by 0.7% in the third quarter. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. now owns 69,886 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $17,795,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Fortress Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.2% during the third quarter. Fortress Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,340 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,614,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, BCU Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter valued at approximately $242,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on AAPL. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wedbush set a $350.00 price target on Apple and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Apple to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $283.36 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.92.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $267.26 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $273.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $245.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $3.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.78, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.65 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. Analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.92%.

Key Stores Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Monness (Brian White) reaffirmed a Buy and a $300 target, signaling at least one influential analyst expects a 2026 rebound tied to product refreshes. Apple: Navigating Short-Term AI and Macro Headwinds…
• Positive Sentiment: Social and forum chatter points to strong early enthusiasm for the iPhone 17 launch, which could support near-term device revenue and sentiment. Apple Inc. Stock (AAPL) Opinions on iPhone 17 Launch
• Positive Sentiment: Barchart explores whether a revamped Fitness+ could become a modest Services growth driver in 2026 — a positive for recurring revenue if adoption improves. Can Fitness+ Move the Needle for Apple Stock in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga notes Apple is “trending” largely because Raymond James resumed coverage and shifted to Market Perform — the story is driving attention but not uniformly bullish or bearish. Why Are Apple Shares Trending Monday?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price-target dispersion remains wide: many buy ratings and a median ~ $305 target coexist with a few low targets — markets are digesting mixed views on upside. Apple Inc. Stock (AAPL) Opinions on iPhone 17 Launch
• Negative Sentiment: Raymond James resumed coverage with a Market Perform/downgrade tied to valuation and a view that much of Apple’s strengths are already priced in — this is a direct driver of the weaker session. Consumer Discretionary Stocks Q3 Teardown: Apple Vs The Rest
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets report Apple has scaled back Vision Pro production after weak sales — lower-than-expected adoption for a high-profile product raises near-term execution concerns. Apple’s Vision Pro Production Plans…
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure and AI-integration concerns: Samsung is pushing AI-powered devices at scale and several analysts flag Apple’s slower AI rollout as a risk to device-share momentum. Samsung’s Plan to Wreck Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling activity and commentary about limited upside (several analysts warning of stagnation) add to the cautious tone among investors. Apple Inc. Stock (AAPL) Opinions on iPhone 17 Launch

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total value of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,030.54. The trade was a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,199 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.39, for a total value of $1,038,790.61. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,168,373.35. This trade represents a 32.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.