Sterling Investment Management LLC Sells 3,192 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Sterling Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 25.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,133 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,192 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 1.4% of Sterling Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Sterling Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,326,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Capstone Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,174,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank grew its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the second quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 18,011 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,695,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Beddow Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Apple by 1.8% during the second quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC increased its position in Apple by 0.4% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Red Tortoise LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 0.9% in the second quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 5,717 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,173,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple formally tapped Google’s Gemini to power the next Siri and other AI features — a faster route to a competitive AI user experience that could accelerate device refresh cycles and Services monetization. Why Apple Chose Google to Power the Future of AI
• Positive Sentiment: Apple launched Creator Studio, a $12.99/month subscription bundling creative apps with new AI features — a near-term Services revenue catalyst that helps diversify recurring revenue beyond hardware. Apple rolls out Creator Studio
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts and firms reaffirmed bullish views after the Gemini tie-up (Wedbush, J.P. Morgan commentary), supporting the investment case that Apple can boost Services growth while preserving capital discipline. Wedbush Reiterates Outperform on Apple
• Neutral Sentiment: Early reviews of Vision Pro continue to be mixed — strong technical demo value but user experience gaps remain; important for long‑term AR/VR monetization but unlikely to move near‑term revenue materially. I Watched the Lakers-Bucks Game Courtside on Apple Vision Pro (CNET)
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile portfolio moves (e.g., Peter Thiel shifting capital into Apple) can signal institutional interest, but such filings are noisy and not definitive proof of sustained buying pressure. Why Peter Thiel Just Sold All His Nvidia Stock for Apple and Microsoft
• Neutral Sentiment: Unverified remarks suggesting Apple invested in Intel created chatter that helped INTC shares — impacts for Apple are speculative and likely immaterial unless confirmed. “Apple Went In”: Intel Stock Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of a shortage in a key chipboard material (high‑grade glass cloth) could constrain Apple device supply or raise component costs if the bottleneck persists — a tangible short‑term production risk. AI Demand Triggers Chip Material Shortage
• Negative Sentiment: Coalitions of women’s and advocacy groups are pressuring Apple (and Google) to remove X/Grok from app stores over AI‑generated sexualized content — a reputational and regulatory risk that could force policy changes or moderation costs. Women’s groups call on Apple, Google to drop X and Grok

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total transaction of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $259.96 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $272.28 and a 200 day moving average of $248.06. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus set a $325.00 price objective on Apple and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Apple from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.07.

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.