Balefire LLC Sells 6,084 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Balefire LLC reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,862 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 6,084 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 1.4% of Balefire LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Balefire LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $7,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Overbrook Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Overbrook Management Corp now owns 104,648 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $28,449,000 after purchasing an additional 38,174 shares during the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Apple by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,740,000 after buying an additional 2,920 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Apple by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $101,301,000 after buying an additional 8,446 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in Apple by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 1,426,605 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $363,256,000 after buying an additional 465,393 shares during the period. Finally, Tufton Capital Management grew its holdings in Apple by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tufton Capital Management now owns 100,130 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $25,496,000 after acquiring an additional 4,157 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on AAPL. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on shares of Apple from $267.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Phillip Securities upgraded Apple from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.58.

Apple Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $253.79 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $260.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $263.18. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.21 and a 12-month high of $288.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.73 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.08, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 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 firm had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.40 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore reiterated an Outperform and kept a $330 price target, citing strong momentum in Apple’s services monetization that could accelerate revenue growth. Apple Inc. (AAPL) Focused on Service Monetization to Accelerate Revenue Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reiterated Outperform with a $350 target and flagged WWDC / a possible foldable iPhone as a near-term catalyst that could re‑ignite device momentum. Wedbush Reiterates Outperform on Apple Inc. (AAPL) Amid Anticipation of Foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: Large hedge-fund interest: D. E. Shaw holds a multibillion-dollar stake (listed among its top picks), signaling institutional confidence. D. E. Shaw Stock Portfolio: Top 5 Stocks to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett publicly said he “sold Apple too soon” and would consider buying more at the right price — a credibility boost for long-term investors. Warren Buffett says he sold Apple too soon and would buy more of it, though not in this market
• Positive Sentiment: Product/AI upgrade: Reuters/Bloomberg reports Apple is testing a Siri feature that can handle multiple commands in one prompt — a visible AI catch-up move investors like. Apple tests Siri feature that handles multiple commands at once, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals: reports say iPhone demand remains resilient in China, helping offset weakness at some Android rivals and supporting device revenue outlooks. iPhone Demand Holds Strong in China Despite Market Slump
• Neutral Sentiment: Services integrations continue (Bandsintown added concert listings to Apple Music with iOS 26.4), which is constructive for engagement but a slow revenue play. BANDSINTOWN POWERS CONCERT LISTINGS ON APPLE MUSIC WITH THE RELEASE OF IOS 26.4
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts flag a recent pullback/valuation reset and tariff concerns — a reminder upside may depend on execution (services + new devices) rather than easy valuation re-rating. Assessing Apple (AAPL) Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback And Tariff Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Apple has stepped up App Store enforcement against “vibe‑coding” AI apps; critics say this risks alienating developers and slows AI ecosystem momentum. Apple Cracks Down on Vibe Coding Services in App Store
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory & geopolitical noise: a UK fine for sanctions breaches at a European unit and inclusion on an Iran “retaliation” list highlight legal/security risks that can pressure shares. Apple subsidiary fined for breaching Russian sanctions Palantir, Tesla, Apple Top Iran Retaliation List

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.