Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,507,195 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 106,350 shares during the period. Apple makes up 2.4% of Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $383,777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 110.9% during 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 last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 41.0% during 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. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Apple during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $99,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $250.12 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $288.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.67 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $262.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $261.74.

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. The firm had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The company’s revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.40 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued 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 is 13.15%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new low-cost devices (MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e) broaden addressable market and could win share versus cheaper Windows/Chromebooks — a strategic growth lever even if it pressures near-term margins. How Apple’s new low-cost MacBook Neo may shake up the market
• Positive Sentiment: Early Formula 1 ratings for AppleTV’s exclusive U.S. stream were strong, supporting the thesis that exclusive sports/content deals can grow Services subscriptions and engagement over time. Apple Gets Early Formula 1 Ratings Win
• Positive Sentiment: India’s plan to roll fresh smartphone manufacturing incentives could help Apple expand local production and improve margin/market access over the medium term. India plans fresh incentives for phone production
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed: a few firms raised targets or reiterated buys while others stay cautious/neutral; median price targets remain above the market, keeping a longer-term bullish backdrop but no unanimous near-term catalyst. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Apple cut its mainland China App Store commission to 25% (and mini-app fees to 12%) after regulator talks — good for developer relations but a direct hit to Services take-rate and near-term revenue in its second‑largest market. Apple cuts China App Store commission fees after government pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Strong insider selling and social/board chatter about a tech pullback and China demand risks are weighing on sentiment — traders are highlighting technical weakness and short-term bearish views. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and supply‑chain risks (memory/storage cost inflation and geopolitical disruption tied to the Iran war) could raise component costs and compress device margins if Apple absorbs price moves to hold consumer prices. The Iran War Could Upend AI. Here’s How.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AAPL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their target price on Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 target price on Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Scotiabank set a $330.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.58.

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.