Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Trimmed by Mechanics Bank Trust Department

Mechanics Bank Trust Department reduced its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 17.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 165,906 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 36,268 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 5.9% of Mechanics Bank Trust Department’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Mechanics Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Apple were worth $42,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Ryan Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Apple during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its stake in Apple by 333.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 41.0% in the 2nd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports say Apple will turn Siri into a ChatGPT-style chatbot (reportedly using Google’s Gemini) later this year — a major AI product pivot that could re-accelerate services engagement and investor sentiment. Bloomberg: Apple to revamp Siri as a built-in chatbot
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is developing an AI wearable “pin” (screenless assistant) and racing to match OpenAI/others add another potential new hardware revenue stream and extend Apple’s AI narrative. Product optionality tends to support higher multiples if execution follows. TechCrunch: Apple developing an AI wearable
• Positive Sentiment: Counterpoint/market reports show Apple regained top smartphone share in China with >28% shipment growth in Q4 — a strong regional performance that supports iPhone unit/ASP assumptions going into earnings. Reuters/24/7 Wall St.: Apple’s surge in China
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support is building: Evercore added Apple to a tactical outperform list and bullish price targets (and other firms reiterated confidence), which can amplify any positive earnings surprise. Evercore reaffirmation / analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and others argue Apple’s sell-off looks oversold technically (RSI at multiyear lows) and fundamentals remain intact — this sets up a potentially asymmetric upside into earnings if results beat. MarketBeat: Sell-off may be overdone
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple previews and threads outline accounting items and expectations ahead of the Jan. 29 report — important for short-term volatility but outcome-dependent. Zacks: Wall Street earnings expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer and other commentators are defending Apple/Big Tech exposure and debating the recent pullback — helpful for sentiment but not a direct fundamental driver. CNBC: Jim Cramer on Magnificent Seven
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple/Netflix Best Picture nomination and Funding Circle adding Apple Pay listings are PR/brand positives but unlikely to move the stock materially. Benzinga: Oscar nominations
• Negative Sentiment: Apple asked an Indian court to block the competition authority from seeking global financials in an app-store probe — prolonged regulatory fights could raise compliance costs and create uncertainty in a key growth market. Reuters: Apple asks Indian court to stop antitrust body
• Negative Sentiment: Apple China announced short-term discounts on products — could provide a sales boost but may signal promotional pressure or slowing near-term demand in the region. Reuters: Apple China discounts
• Negative Sentiment: Portfolio moves (e.g., Cypress Funds trimming ~29k shares) and macro shocks (tariff/geopolitical fears linked to market drops) add selling pressure into earnings season. TipRanks: Cypress Funds cuts stake

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Melius Research set a $345.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $325.00 price objective on Apple in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $281.70.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $248.35 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $269.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $249.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $3.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.21 and a twelve month high of $288.62.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders 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 payout ratio is currently 13.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.