Blalock Williams LLC Invests $2.56 Million in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Blalock Williams LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 10,067 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock, valued at approximately $2,563,000. Apple makes up 2.2% of Blalock Williams LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,174,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Baker Boyer National Bank boosted its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 18,011 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,695,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Beddow Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Apple by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC grew its position in Apple by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 10,609 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,701,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,646 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,456,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $278.12 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.08 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.16, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $268.05 and a 200 day moving average of $254.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The business 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 firm posted $2.40 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Melius Research set a $345.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on Apple from $250.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $291.70.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple preparing to allow third‑party voice AI/chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) in CarPlay — a strategic shift that could boost in‑car services, user engagement and partnerships across the AI ecosystem. Apple plans to allow external voice-controlled AI chatbots in CarPlay
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 results (higher‑than‑expected revenue and EPS, large iPhone sales) continue to support investor confidence and explain why AAPL is outperforming many Big Tech peers after the AI‑led sell‑off.
• Positive Sentiment: EU says Apple Ads and Apple Maps should not be designated under the Digital Markets Act — avoids potential regulatory constraints and commercial disruption in Europe. Apple Ads and Apple Maps should not be designated under Digital Markets Act, says EU
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and bullish price targets remain — several firms have reiterated Outperform/Overweight calls and above‑consensus targets (median recent target ~$310), underpinning investor interest. Evercore ISI stays Outperform on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in new Big Tech ETF offerings and continued institutional buying signal durable demand from funds and passive vehicles. Big Tech Core: New Burney ETF Packs Apple, Nvidia, Google, Broadcom Punch
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data currently shows anomalies (reporting zeros/NaN) and offers no clear signal on bearish positioning — not market‑moving as reported.
• Neutral Sentiment: Global memory‑chip shortages raise questions about iPhone pricing vs. margin trade‑offs; could preserve margins (price increases) or dent volume if Apple raises prices — impact unclear near term. Pricier iPhones? Global memory chip crunch puts spotlight on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Apple has scaled back its AI health‑coach initiative (project “Mulberry”), highlighting execution and monetization challenges for new paid services tied to health/wearables. That could temper parts‑of‑services growth expectations. Apple Scales Back AI Health Coach Plans
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing insider selling is visible in regulatory filings; while routine at large cap firms, it can be interpreted negatively by some investors when concentrated.

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.