Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Has $51.40 Million Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI trimmed its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 201,856 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 6,210 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 3.8% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Apple were worth $51,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AAPL. Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,174,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank increased its position in Apple by 0.3% in the second quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 18,011 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,695,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Beddow Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Apple by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC lifted its position in Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 10,609 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,701,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Red Tortoise LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 5,717 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple confirmed a multi‑year partnership to base its next generation of foundation models on Google’s Gemini, giving Apple a fast path to better AI in Siri while preserving capital — a clear product and services catalyst if rollout drives upgrades. Why Apple Chose Google to Power the Future of AI
• Positive Sentiment: Apple launched Apple Creator Studio, a new subscription bundle that expands paid services for creators — supporting higher recurring revenue and gross margins in Services, which investors view as a long‑term earnings driver. Apple rolls out Creator Studio to boost services push, adds AI features
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms reaffirm bullish views (Evercore, Wedbush, other analysts) citing an upcoming iPhone refresh, Siri/AI upgrades and services momentum as reasons Apple remains a top pick for 2026 — analyst support tends to underpin near‑term buying interest. This Analyst Still Thinks Apple Stock Is a Top Pick for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan’s Q4 report included a one‑time charge tied to taking over the Apple Card partnership; the bank is building reserves and investing in payments/tech to support the card transition — this is operationally important but the direct, immediate impact on Apple’s revenue/profitability is limited and more medium‑term. JPMorgan profit falls on one-time Apple card deal charge
• Negative Sentiment: Critics and some commentators argue Apple is trailing peers in AI spending and execution, and some coverage highlights valuation premium — this narrative can cap sentiment until Apple demonstrates tangible AI product wins and revenue upside. Apple: Trapped Between Google and a Hard AI Phase

Apple Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $261.05 on Wednesday. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $272.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.97. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.84 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its 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 net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The firm had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.65 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 target price (up previously from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 price target on Apple in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $284.07.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,199 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.39, for a total value of $1,038,790.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,168,373.35. This trade represents a 32.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.