Independent Investors Inc. Lowers Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Independent Investors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,100,423 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 22,298 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 53.9% of Independent Investors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Independent Investors Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $280,201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st 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. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC lifted its stake in 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. 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is accelerating development of three AI wearables (smart glasses, an AI pendant and camera-equipped AirPods) are being priced as a new growth path beyond the iPhone — a potential high‑margin ecosystem extension that traders rewarded. Apple is reportedly cooking up a trio of AI wearables
• Positive Sentiment: Street bullishness remains: Wedbush and other bullish analysts reiterated high price targets (e.g., $350), and commentators argue Apple’s measured AI approach could unlock substantial value — supporting upside sentiment despite recent volatility. Dan Ives Says Apple’s AI Alone Could Be Worth $1.5 Trillion
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming March 4 product event and strong Q1 results (record revenue / iPhone strength) give investors a near-term catalyst and sentiment support ahead of new-device reveals. Apple Gears Up For ‘Special Experience’ Event On March 4: Here’s What To Expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/positioning notes — Apple’s correlation with the Nasdaq has fallen to multi‑decade lows, which can make it a relative “safe-haven” inside big tech but also means different performance drivers than pure AI plays. Apple’s AI Strategy Offers Alternative for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Product extensions (Apple Pay installments; car keys expanding to Toyota) are incremental service/UX positives but unlikely to move the needle alone. Apple Set to Bring Car Keys Function to Toyota Vehicles
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway trimmed its Apple stake in the latest 13F — continuing a multi‑quarter pattern of selling. Large‑holder trimming, even if incremental, can pressure sentiment and headline-driven flows. Berkshire & AI Hyperscalers: Buffett Holds GOOGL, Dumps AMZN
• Negative Sentiment: Investor anxiety about delayed Siri upgrades, reported regulatory scrutiny and recent insider selling have driven part of the recent pullback — these are the main negative narratives investors cite when selling into volatility. Apple’s $2.84 Earnings Beat Can’t Overcome Siri Delay Concerns

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, December 29th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on Apple from $250.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Apple from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $292.13.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $264.35 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $288.62. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $265.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $256.97.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 13.15%.

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.