Apple Inc. $AAPL is Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s Largest Position

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 6.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,572,429 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 747,654 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 3.5% of Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,692,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ryan Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its holdings in Apple by 333.3% during the second quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 41.0% in the 2nd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $248.35 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $269.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $249.53.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The business had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 13.92%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports say Apple will turn Siri into a ChatGPT-style chatbot (reportedly using Google’s Gemini) later this year — a major AI product pivot that could re-accelerate services engagement and investor sentiment. Bloomberg: Apple to revamp Siri as a built-in chatbot
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is developing an AI wearable “pin” (screenless assistant) and racing to match OpenAI/others add another potential new hardware revenue stream and extend Apple’s AI narrative. Product optionality tends to support higher multiples if execution follows. TechCrunch: Apple developing an AI wearable
• Positive Sentiment: Counterpoint/market reports show Apple regained top smartphone share in China with >28% shipment growth in Q4 — a strong regional performance that supports iPhone unit/ASP assumptions going into earnings. Reuters/24/7 Wall St.: Apple’s surge in China
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support is building: Evercore added Apple to a tactical outperform list and bullish price targets (and other firms reiterated confidence), which can amplify any positive earnings surprise. Evercore reaffirmation / analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and others argue Apple’s sell-off looks oversold technically (RSI at multiyear lows) and fundamentals remain intact — this sets up a potentially asymmetric upside into earnings if results beat. MarketBeat: Sell-off may be overdone
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple previews and threads outline accounting items and expectations ahead of the Jan. 29 report — important for short-term volatility but outcome-dependent. Zacks: Wall Street earnings expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer and other commentators are defending Apple/Big Tech exposure and debating the recent pullback — helpful for sentiment but not a direct fundamental driver. CNBC: Jim Cramer on Magnificent Seven
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple/Netflix Best Picture nomination and Funding Circle adding Apple Pay listings are PR/brand positives but unlikely to move the stock materially. Benzinga: Oscar nominations
• Negative Sentiment: Apple asked an Indian court to block the competition authority from seeking global financials in an app-store probe — prolonged regulatory fights could raise compliance costs and create uncertainty in a key growth market. Reuters: Apple asks Indian court to stop antitrust body
• Negative Sentiment: Apple China announced short-term discounts on products — could provide a sales boost but may signal promotional pressure or slowing near-term demand in the region. Reuters: Apple China discounts
• Negative Sentiment: Portfolio moves (e.g., Cypress Funds trimming ~29k shares) and macro shocks (tariff/geopolitical fears linked to market drops) add selling pressure into earnings season. TipRanks: Cypress Funds cuts stake

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $325.00 target price on Apple in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. CLSA upped their price objective on Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 target price (up previously from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $281.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were 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 directly owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Apple

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.