Independence Bank of Kentucky Acquires 1,863 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 121,294 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,863 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 4.0% of Independence Bank of Kentucky’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Independence Bank of Kentucky’s holdings in Apple were worth $30,885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Jackson Square Capital LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 70.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jackson Square Capital LLC now owns 115,270 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $29,351,000 after buying an additional 47,600 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.3% in the third quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 62,425 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $15,947,000 after acquiring an additional 2,553 shares during the last quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 6.7% in the third quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,938 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $6,605,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 9.2% during the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 117,795 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $29,994,000 after acquiring an additional 9,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Enhancement Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 8.0% during the third quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 57,972 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $14,960,000 after acquiring an additional 4,287 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Federal judge denied a bid to block U.S. imports of certain Apple Watch models in a patent dispute, letting Apple continue shipments that protect near-term wearables sales and supply continuity. Apple (AAPL) Cleared to Keep Importing Watch Models amid Patent Dispute
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s reports a surprise jump in China’s imports of foreign-branded mobile phones (iPhone exposure), which supports revenue upside and helps offset macro worries in Apple’s largest cyclical market. Apple Stock Ticks Up After a Surprise From China—and a Legal Win
• Positive Sentiment: High consumer-product satisfaction and continued endorsement from prominent investors/commentators (Jim Cramer highlighted Apple’s customer satisfaction edge), which supports brand resilience and premium pricing. Apple (AAPL)’s the Only One That Maintains High Consumer Product Satisfaction, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Apple publicly released a new AI model and product-level AI improvements (including live translation features), signaling product-driving AI steps rather than a race to ship unpolished tools — a potential catalyst for Services and device differentiation. Apple Just Released a New AI Model. Should You Buy AAPL Stock Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and MarketBeat commentary point to steady upgrades and a material upside case into 2026 as Apple leverages iPhone strength and gradual AI rollouts. Apple: The AI Outlier (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: User reviews of features like AirPods live translation (NYT) show incremental product wins that improve the ecosystem but are unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. How Well Does Apple’s Live Translation Work for Japanese? I Tested It in Tokyo.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting billionaires buying other AI stocks (possible future competitors or new leaders) is drawing headlines but doesn’t directly change Apple’s near-term fundamentals. Billionaires Are Buying an AI Stock That Could Be the Apple of the 2030s
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing narrative that Apple is a latecomer in generative AI creates valuation risk if investors re-rate tech leaders based on AI leadership; that debate may cap multiple expansion until clearer, product-level wins are delivered. Apple Doesn’t Need A Stronger AI Portfolio (Seeking Alpha)

Apple Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of AAPL opened at $273.40 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. The company’s fifty day moving average is $272.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.75. The firm has a market cap of $4.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total transaction of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,030.54. The trade was a 19.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 129,963 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.81, for a total transaction of $33,375,798.03. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $842,412,558.95. This trade represents a 3.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,052 shares of company stock worth $58,604,588. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. HSBC set a $220.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Apple from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Melius lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on Apple and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target (up previously from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.92.

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.