Strategic Blueprint LLC Acquires 5,017 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Strategic Blueprint LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 137,200 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,017 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 1.5% of Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $34,935,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the first quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. PKS Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 98,917.0% during the 2nd quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC now owns 57,956,620 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,106,000 after purchasing an additional 57,898,088 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 20,079,472 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. DZ Bank raised Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective (up previously from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.80.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL opened at $258.27 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $169.21 and a 1 year high of $288.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $269.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $250.98.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The company had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.92%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $315 and kept an overweight stance, citing strong iPhone demand — a bullish analyst catalyst that supports upside expectations into earnings. Apple gets price target boost from JPMorgan
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is rolling out a Gemini‑powered Siri in February (Google partnership), which investors view as tangible AI progress that could show up in services engagement and long-term monetization. Apple’s Gemini‑Powered Siri Arrives in February
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is expanding App Store ad opportunities for developers in March, which could lift Services revenue over time and give investors another near-term monetization vector. Apple’s Expanded Ad Opportunities For Developers Coming in March
• Neutral Sentiment: The market is setting up for a volatile earnings week (Magnificent 7 plus a Fed meeting); option markets expect a roughly 4% move for AAPL around the print, raising short-term event risk despite positive catalysts. Options traders expect a 4.15% move
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile portfolio moves (Pelosi filing) show large Apple share sales paired with LEAPS purchases — signals range from tax/rebalancing to continued long-term conviction; adds noise but not a clear directional signal. Pelosi’s Bullish 2026 Buy List
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed its outlook (lowered price target) pointing to slowing App Store growth and Google ad competition — risks to Services growth are being priced in by some sell‑side firms. Jefferies Flags App Store and Google Ad Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Smaller shops (Aletheia) maintain sell ratings and lowered targets arguing hardware margin pressure — downside risk if Apple reports weaker-than-expected iPhone margins or conservative guidance. Aletheia Maintains Sell on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/PR overhang: outlets report combined settlements over alleged voice‑data issues (Apple + Google), a headline risk that could fuel short-term investor caution around guidance and services commentary. Google, Apple to pay combined $163M to settle lawsuits

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total value of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,030.54. This represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.