HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Purchases 52,506 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 392,394 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,506 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 2.2% of HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $101,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ryan Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 333.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC increased its position in Apple by 41.0% during the 2nd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,199 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.39, for a total transaction of $1,038,790.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,168,373.35. This trade represents a 32.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 228,052 shares of company stock valued at $58,604,588 over the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Apple Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $273.00 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $169.21 and a 1-year high of $288.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $4.03 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.55, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $272.98 and a 200-day moving average of $243.39.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.65 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 13.92%.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and bull case: multiple firms lifted targets and reiterations point to upside from iPhone strength, services growth and potential AI monetization in 2026 — some price targets sit well above the current price, supporting a constructive view. Why Apple Might Attract More of an AI Multiple in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Buybacks & revenue outlook: Apple’s large 2025 buyback program and guidance point to improving EPS and a return to stronger revenue growth into fiscal 2026, which supports valuation and long‑term upside. Apple Is Likely to Return to Double-Digit Revenue Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Options & range trading: Traders note AAPL has been rangebound; some market participants are generating income via selling out‑of‑the‑money puts (a neutral/constructive tactical trade if you expect limited near‑term downside). Shorting Puts Is The Best Play
• Neutral Sentiment: AI rotation theme: Market commentary highlights a shift from AI infrastructure to application‑layer winners; Apple is positioned as a distribution‑first player but is viewed as a later AI monetizer rather than an early infrastructure spender. The Application-Layer Rotation
• Negative Sentiment: Siri/AI execution concerns: Reporting says Apple missed a planned Siri generative‑AI update and faces perceptions of lagging rivals — this heightens investor worry that Apple must deliver compelling AI features to drive upgrades and multiple expansion. Apple needs to deliver an AI-charged Siri
• Negative Sentiment: Cautionary research and insider/large‑holder selling: Critical takes argue limited near‑term growth, and reporting shows significant sales by insiders and reductions by Berkshire/Buffett — both can weigh on sentiment and create selling pressure. The 76-Year-Old Reason Why Buffett Has Been Selling Apple & QuiverQuant insider/flow summary
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish/valuation concerns: Some articles warn limited upside near term and urge caution on growth expectations given heavy competition in AI and elevated multiples. Apple: Don’t Expect Much Growth Here

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 target price (up previously from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. CLSA raised their price objective on Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $283.36 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Apple to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.92.

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.