Cerity Partners LLC Decreases Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Cerity Partners LLC reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,800,700 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 49,987 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 3.6% of Cerity Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,223,163,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its stake in Apple by 1,800.0% in the first 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 boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 333.3% in the 2nd 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 bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 41.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the 1st quarter valued at about $99,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total value 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 represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Apple to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Argus set a $325.00 price objective on Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.80.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its AAPL price target to $315 and highlighted strong iPhone demand ahead of earnings, providing a clear upside case that traders are reacting to. Apple gets price target boost from JPMorgan ahead of earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy and urged investors to “buy the dip,” signaling conviction from a major bank and supporting near-term demand. Goldman Sticks With Apple (AAPL) Buy Rating Despite Early-2026 Weakness
• Positive Sentiment: Reports show Apple is gaining iPhone market share in India and saw strong 2025 India sales—this geographic growth is being cited as a reason for optimism into the upcoming quarter. Why Shares of Apple Are Rising Today
• Positive Sentiment: Small product/monetization moves (new AirTag announcement and expanded App Store ad opportunities for developers in March) add incremental upside to the hardware and Services mix. Apple Stock Bounces: What’s Driving The Buying Interest? Apple’s Expanded Ad Opportunities For Developers Coming in March
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalysts (Apple Q1 earnings on Jan. 29 and this week’s Fed decision) are concentrating flows and option activity—investors are positioning rather than making large directional bets until the prints. Apple Vs Microsoft: Which is the Best Tech Investment as Quarterly Results Approach?
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat’s deep dive on the Pelosi filings frames recent Pelosi activity as a strategic roll into LEAPS and diversification into energy/finance—this can be read as constructive for mega-cap exposure over the medium term. Pelosi’s Bullish 2026 Buy List: AI, Power & Dividends
• Negative Sentiment: Disclosure filings show roughly $50M in direct Apple share sales from the Pelosi-related portfolio (paired with LEAPS purchases); large headline sales can pressure sentiment short term even if followed by option-based re-exposure. Pelosi’s $69M Trade Filing Shows Apple Trim and Fresh Megacap Call Bets
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors and analysts remain cautious—KeyBanc flagged conservatism ahead of Q1 results, and retail flows have shown outflows into other growth names, which could limit upside if earnings disappoint. KeyBanc Remains Cautious on Apple Stock (AAPL) Ahead of Q1 Earnings Retail Investors Dump Apple Stock While Nvidia, Tesla See Massive Inflows

Apple Price Performance

AAPL opened at $255.41 on Tuesday. 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 $3.75 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $269.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $250.65. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.21 and a 52-week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 13.92%.

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.