Apple Inc. $AAPL Position Increased by First National Advisers LLC

First National Advisers LLC boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 169,740 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,906 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 5.9% of First National Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. First National Advisers LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $43,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 1st quarter worth about $17,472,482,000. PKS Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 98,917.0% during the 2nd quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC now owns 57,956,620 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,106,000 after acquiring an additional 57,898,088 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,553,753,000 after acquiring an additional 26,937,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Apple by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,918,365,000 after purchasing an additional 20,079,472 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $275.50 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $267.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $255.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its 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 net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is presently 13.15%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is preparing a “game‑changer” iPhone—investors interpret new hardware cycles as a revenue/opportunity catalyst for iPhone upgrades. Apple is about to launch a ‘game-changer’ iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein and other outlets have lifted targets/outperform calls (Bernstein raised its target toward ~$340), citing a strong iPhone 17 cycle and Apple Intelligence — analyst upgrades increase buy-side conviction. Apple Stock To Rise Despite Memory Chip Crunch, Says Top Analyst— Hints At ‘Bigger Story’ Unfolding In 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore/other brokers reiterated Outperform/Buy ratings with elevated price targets (Evercore $330), reinforcing the analyst support behind the rally. Apple: Strong Fundamentals and AI Roadmap Underpin Outperform Rating and $330 Target
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate fundamentals showing strength — reports note rising free cash flow margins and continued buybacks/dividend distribution (quarterly $0.26 payment), which support valuation and shareholder returns. Apple’s FCF Margins Surge and Its Target Value Rises – What’s the Best AAPL Stock Play?
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Fisher Asset Management increased its stake, a vote of confidence from a large manager. Fisher Asset Management Boosts Apple Stake by 704,293 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: UK regulator engagement: Apple and Google agreed on app‑store changes to appease the UK regulator — reduces regulatory overhang but may require concessions. Apple and Google agree app store changes to appease UK regulator
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein and others flag a global memory‑chip crunch — a potential cost/headwind — but say upcoming product/AI catalysts could outweigh the supply‑side pressure. Apple Stock To Rise Despite Memory Chip Crunch, Says Top Analyst— Hints At ‘Bigger Story’ Unfolding In 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Software rollout issues: reports say the new Siri/iOS 26.5 features are not reliably functional in early tests — product software snags can dent user experience and slow feature monetization. Apple’s latest attempt to launch new Siri runs into snags
• Negative Sentiment: Morningstar Investment Management trimmed its Apple position sharply — a large manager reducing exposure can add downward pressure or signal profit‑taking. Morningstar Investment Management Cuts Apple Inc Position Sharply

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AAPL. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $276.47 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Melius Research set a $345.00 target price on Apple in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 target price on Apple in a report on Friday, October 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.13.

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.