Sterling Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Sterling Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 25.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,133 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,192 shares during the period. Apple makes up 1.4% of Sterling Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Sterling Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Ryan Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 200 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 41.0% during the second quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AAPL. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 target price on Apple in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on Apple from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.07.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple formally tapped Google’s Gemini to power the next Siri and other AI features — a faster route to a competitive AI user experience that could accelerate device refresh cycles and Services monetization. Why Apple Chose Google to Power the Future of AI
• Positive Sentiment: Apple launched Creator Studio, a $12.99/month subscription bundling creative apps with new AI features — a near-term Services revenue catalyst that helps diversify recurring revenue beyond hardware. Apple rolls out Creator Studio
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts and firms reaffirmed bullish views after the Gemini tie-up (Wedbush, J.P. Morgan commentary), supporting the investment case that Apple can boost Services growth while preserving capital discipline. Wedbush Reiterates Outperform on Apple
• Neutral Sentiment: Early reviews of Vision Pro continue to be mixed — strong technical demo value but user experience gaps remain; important for long‑term AR/VR monetization but unlikely to move near‑term revenue materially. I Watched the Lakers-Bucks Game Courtside on Apple Vision Pro (CNET)
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile portfolio moves (e.g., Peter Thiel shifting capital into Apple) can signal institutional interest, but such filings are noisy and not definitive proof of sustained buying pressure. Why Peter Thiel Just Sold All His Nvidia Stock for Apple and Microsoft
• Neutral Sentiment: Unverified remarks suggesting Apple invested in Intel created chatter that helped INTC shares — impacts for Apple are speculative and likely immaterial unless confirmed. “Apple Went In”: Intel Stock Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of a shortage in a key chipboard material (high‑grade glass cloth) could constrain Apple device supply or raise component costs if the bottleneck persists — a tangible short‑term production risk. AI Demand Triggers Chip Material Shortage
• Negative Sentiment: Coalitions of women’s and advocacy groups are pressuring Apple (and Google) to remove X/Grok from app stores over AI‑generated sexualized content — a reputational and regulatory risk that could force policy changes or moderation costs. Women’s groups call on Apple, Google to drop X and Grok

Apple Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $259.96 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $272.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $248.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.21 and a 52-week high of $288.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.11. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The business had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. Apple’s 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 year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 13.92%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total transaction of $1,017,654.96. Following the transaction, the insider owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 at this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Apple

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.