Westend Capital Management LLC Increases Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Westend Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,446 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 3,385 shares during the period. Apple comprises 6.2% of Westend Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Westend Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $22,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its stake in Apple by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 2,860,126 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $777,554,000 after purchasing an additional 65,834 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Quarterback LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Quarterback LLC now owns 38,845 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $10,560,000 after buying an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. MOR Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,255,000. Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc. now owns 9,300 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,528,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Finally, Barlow Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Barlow Wealth Partners LLC now owns 122,146 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $31,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market share gains: Counterpoint/Reuters data show Apple led global smartphone shipments in Q1 with about 21% share and 5% year‑over‑year growth — a signal of resilient iPhone demand that underpins revenue and margin outlooks. Apple leads global smartphone shipments
• Positive Sentiment: Supplier strength: TSMC reported a 35% jump in Q1 revenue on AI chip demand — good for Apple’s advanced chip supply continuity and pricing leverage for devices using leading-node silicon. TSMC revenue surges
• Positive Sentiment: Services distribution lift: Apple TV becoming available as a paid add‑on on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. expands services reach and monetization channels for Apple’s content/subscription ecosystem. Apple TV lands on Amazon Prime Video
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity: Reports of unusual bullish options flow suggest some investors are positioning for upside, but options can amplify short‑term moves without changing fundamentals. Unusual Activity in Apple Options Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional moves: Coverage notes Israel Englander trimmed a Millennium position and other filings show insider sales — routine portfolio rebalancing that merits monitoring but not necessarily a directional signal alone. Israel Englander Trims Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Retail/ labor risk: Apple will close three U.S. mall stores in June including its first unionized location in Towson, Maryland. The move raises labor‑relations and PR concerns and highlights brick‑and‑mortar pressure — a small revenue line but reputational and employee‑relation risk. Apple to shutter its first unionized US store
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings/forecast downside: Jefferies flagged a possible slight March‑quarter miss (weaker iPhone sales, higher memory costs) and Erste lowered FY2027 EPS estimates — both could pressure near‑term sentiment ahead of formal guidance. Apple set to deliver slight earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Product timing concerns: Ongoing reports about foldable iPhone technical challenges and potential delays keep some investors cautious about the next major product catalyst. Foldable iPhone remains on track

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 30,002 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Maxim Group upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $301.23.

Apple Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $260.48 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $260.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $263.73. 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 1 year low of $186.06 and a 1 year high of $288.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.11.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.25 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.15%.

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.