Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by Meridian Wealth Management LLC

Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 401,795 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,917 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 3.9% of Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $102,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its holdings in Apple by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,845,000 after acquiring an additional 6,982 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Apple by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,544,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $134,554,000 after purchasing an additional 69,207 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $16,742,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $12,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New MacBook Air/Pro lineup with M5 chips and revamped Studio Displays reinforces Apple’s device‑level AI strategy and supports higher ASPs and services attachment. Apple launches new generation of MacBook laptops
• Positive Sentiment: Apple introduced a lower‑cost iPhone 17e (starting $599) and upgraded iPad Air, which should help defend share in price‑sensitive markets and broaden upgrade cycles. Apple launches iPhone 17e
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America keeps a Buy rating and $325 price target, citing sustained services momentum and device‑level AI upside — a bullish analyst endorsement for medium‑term upside. BofA maintains Buy on Apple
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data showed a reported large increase but the published figures read as 0 shares/NaN (days‑to‑cover 0.0) — likely a reporting glitch, so no clear bearish signal from short sellers at this time.
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target modestly (from $239 to $248) but kept an “underweight” rating — a mixed signal (higher PT but continued cautious stance). Barclays raises PT but stays underweight
• Negative Sentiment: Apple increased MacBook prices (Air up ~$100; Pro up more, some models +$400) as memory‑chip shortages and rising component costs push up ASPs — this can boost near‑term revenue but risks dampening unit demand and margin visibility. Apple raises MacBook prices amid chip shortage
• Negative Sentiment: Warren Buffett/Berkshire materially trimmed its Apple stake (reports say a ~75% sale in his final filings), a high‑profile shareholder reduction that can amplify near‑term selling pressure and sentiment risk. How Berkshire Hathaway performed during Buffett’s final quarter

Apple Trading Down 0.4%

AAPL stock opened at $263.75 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.21 and a 12-month high of $288.62. The business’s 50-day moving average is $264.36 and its 200 day moving average is $260.05. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.34, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The business had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Apple’s payout ratio is 13.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on AAPL. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their price target on Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $296.07.

Apple Company 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.