Truist Financial Corp Grows Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Truist Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,031,344 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 194,410 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 2.4% of Truist Financial Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in Apple were worth $1,790,391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter valued at $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the 1st quarter worth about $17,472,482,000. PKS Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 98,917.0% during the 2nd quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC now owns 57,956,620 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,106,000 after buying an additional 57,898,088 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after buying an additional 26,937,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Apple by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,918,365,000 after buying an additional 20,079,472 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on Apple from $250.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. CLSA raised their target price on Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $293.41.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $272.95 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $288.62. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $264.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $258.95. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.15%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tim Cook’s teaser about a multi‑day product rollout (new iPhone, iPad and Mac updates) has lifted investor expectations for a revenue and margin catalyst tied to refreshed hardware. Short‑term momentum around the rumored launches is a primary driver of gains. Tim Cook Teases Apple Launch On Monday: Here’s What To Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Apple asked a federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action alleging it misled investors about Siri/AI progress — a legal de‑risking development that reduces near‑term litigation overhang. Apple seeks dismissal of fraud lawsuit over Siri AI, Epic injunction
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is in talks to launch Apple Pay in India signal a large market expansion opportunity (payments & services revenue) if executed, supporting longer‑term service growth expectations. Apple in talks with banks to start payment service in India, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Content tie‑ups with Netflix for Formula 1 content on Apple TV broaden Apple’s services appeal and cross‑sell potential for devices and subscriptions. Netflix and Apple TV join forces on F1 content
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary is mixed: J.P. Morgan highlights AI companion opportunities for Apple (supportive), while MoffettNathanson raised Apple’s price target to $270 but maintained a neutral rating — indicating upside views are tempered by valuation/competition concerns. AI Companions Could Make Apple Stock an AI Winner, Says J.P. Morgan
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholder governance items: investors rejected a proposal calling for a report on China manufacturing risks — a sign activists didn’t secure traction but not a material business change. Apple shareholders reject call for report on China manufacturing risks
• Negative Sentiment: Spain’s antitrust regulator said Apple was slow to change reseller contract clauses, escalating regulatory scrutiny in Europe — a potential risk to distribution terms and margins in key markets. Spain’s antitrust watchdog says Apple, Amazon took too long to refine anti-competitive contracts
• Negative Sentiment: AI talent departures: high‑profile AI hires by OpenAI of ex‑Apple researchers add to concerns about competition for AI talent and potential delays in Apple’s internal AI roadmap. OpenAI hires Meta AI researcher who previously led Apple’s models team
• Negative Sentiment: Notable institutional selling and insiders trimming AAPL stakes (reports of big names reducing positions) add a supply pressure narrative that could cap near‑term upside if sustained. Ken Griffin, Ray Dalio, and Warren Buffett All Sold More Apple Stock. Should You?

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.