Index Fund Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 21,828 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,042 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 0.3% of Index Fund Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Index Fund Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $5,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Apple by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 601,249,995 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $123,358,461,000 after acquiring an additional 5,224,229 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Apple by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 354,749,794 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $72,506,336,000 after acquiring an additional 4,942,638 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,942,255,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Apple by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,918,365,000 after acquiring an additional 20,079,472 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.
More Apple News
Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Apple to $380, saying AI features and a redesigned Siri could drive substantial incremental revenue over the next few years. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Melius Research also boosted its outlook ahead of WWDC 2026, saying Apple could finally show “real AI sizzle,” which has helped fuel expectations for a stronger product cycle. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple pieces highlight Apple’s recent stock strength, including new record highs and growing optimism that the company’s Services business and ecosystem remain resilient even as iPhone growth slows. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: News that Android smartphone makers may be hit harder than Apple by AI memory shortages could be relatively supportive for AAPL by comparison, but it is more of an industry backdrop than a direct catalyst. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Several articles point to Apple trading near all-time highs and approaching a $5 trillion valuation, reinforcing bullish momentum, though these are mostly commentary rather than fresh company-specific developments. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Some investors remain cautious because iPhone shipment momentum is softening and Apple’s next major growth driver still needs to be proven at WWDC, which leaves room for disappointment if AI announcements underwhelm. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: One Reuters item notes Apple and Google are pushing back against Canada’s online safety bill over encryption concerns, a regulatory issue that could create future headline risk. Article Title
Apple Trading Up 0.8%
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.65 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Apple Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.06%.
Insider Activity at Apple
In other news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at $833,980,668.14. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
AAPL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $380.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group set a $296.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on shares of Apple from $268.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.31.
View Our Latest Report on Apple
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.
See Also
- Five stocks we like better than Apple
- Abercrombie Rallies as Strong Q1 Earnings Extend Winning Streak
- TeraWulf Bets on Power Infrastructure to Lead AI Build-Out
- Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping Strengthens an Already Strong Bull Case
- Keysight: The AI and Defense Stock Seeing Big Price Target Boosts
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Apple Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apple and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
