Westend Capital Management LLC Has $22.14 Million Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Westend Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 81,446 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,385 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 6.2% of Westend Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Westend Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $22,142,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Overbrook Management Corp grew its stake in Apple by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Overbrook Management Corp now owns 104,648 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $28,449,000 after buying an additional 38,174 shares in the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,740,000 after buying an additional 2,920 shares in the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $101,301,000 after buying an additional 8,446 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 1,426,605 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $363,256,000 after acquiring an additional 465,393 shares during the period. Finally, Tufton Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tufton Capital Management now owns 100,130 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $25,496,000 after acquiring an additional 4,157 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Apple from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $301.23.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market share gains: Counterpoint/Reuters data show Apple led global smartphone shipments in Q1 with about 21% share and 5% year‑over‑year growth — a signal of resilient iPhone demand that underpins revenue and margin outlooks. Apple leads global smartphone shipments
• Positive Sentiment: Supplier strength: TSMC reported a 35% jump in Q1 revenue on AI chip demand — good for Apple’s advanced chip supply continuity and pricing leverage for devices using leading-node silicon. TSMC revenue surges
• Positive Sentiment: Services distribution lift: Apple TV becoming available as a paid add‑on on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. expands services reach and monetization channels for Apple’s content/subscription ecosystem. Apple TV lands on Amazon Prime Video
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity: Reports of unusual bullish options flow suggest some investors are positioning for upside, but options can amplify short‑term moves without changing fundamentals. Unusual Activity in Apple Options Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional moves: Coverage notes Israel Englander trimmed a Millennium position and other filings show insider sales — routine portfolio rebalancing that merits monitoring but not necessarily a directional signal alone. Israel Englander Trims Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Retail/ labor risk: Apple will close three U.S. mall stores in June including its first unionized location in Towson, Maryland. The move raises labor‑relations and PR concerns and highlights brick‑and‑mortar pressure — a small revenue line but reputational and employee‑relation risk. Apple to shutter its first unionized US store
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings/forecast downside: Jefferies flagged a possible slight March‑quarter miss (weaker iPhone sales, higher memory costs) and Erste lowered FY2027 EPS estimates — both could pressure near‑term sentiment ahead of formal guidance. Apple set to deliver slight earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Product timing concerns: Ongoing reports about foldable iPhone technical challenges and potential delays keep some investors cautious about the next major product catalyst. Foldable iPhone remains on track

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $260.48 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $260.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $263.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.11. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.06 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. Apple’s revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 30,002 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.