Touchstone Capital Inc. Takes $11.71 Million Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Touchstone Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 46,000 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock, valued at approximately $11,713,000. Apple accounts for about 6.0% of Touchstone Capital Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,174,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank increased its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the 2nd 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 position in Apple by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 10,609 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,701,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,646 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,456,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $275.91 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The business’s 50 day moving average is $268.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.17. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.21 and a 12-month high of $288.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.88, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AAPL. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday. KGI Securities upgraded Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Maxim Group upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $291.70.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and CEO optimism reinforce growth thesis — Apple reported stronger‑than‑expected revenue and iPhone sales, and recent coverage highlights positive messages from Tim Cook that helped lift investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts reiterate bullish stances and high targets — firms including Evercore and Wedbush have kept Outperform/Outweight calls and some high price targets, supporting the view that upside remains despite a choppy tech tape. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative favors Apple’s cautious AI stance — several pieces credit Apple’s measured spending on AI (versus heavy, early AI bets) with making it a relative winner amid the recent tech selloff. That rotation into quality helps justify the stock’s resilience. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: EU signals lower regulatory risk for Apple Ads/Maps — the European Commission said Apple Ads and Maps need not be designated under the Digital Markets Act, reducing potential regulatory constraints in the region. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Manning & Napier added to its Apple stake — small but supportive signal that some managers are adding exposure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Memory‑chip shortage poses a mixed picture — a global memory supply squeeze could push iPhone prices higher (supporting revenue/margins) but risks dampening demand if Apple passes costs to consumers. Monitor pricing vs. unit trends and margin guidance. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Partner/AI dynamics remain opaque — Alphabet declined to discuss its AI arrangement with Apple on an earnings call, leaving some questions about how Apple sources large‑model capabilities for Siri and services. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling and institutional flows are mixed — data aggregators show notable insider sales over the past year and large institutional rebalances; these are worth watching but not an immediate directional signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple scaled back its AI health‑coach project (code‑named Mulberry) — winding down the initiative highlights the challenge of converting health tracking into a paid service and is a setback for wearables/services expansion. That raises questions about near‑term services monetization from health AI. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish takes remind investors of valuation and execution risks — some analysts and independent bear cases point to stretched multiples and potential headwinds (AI execution, saturation in some hardware lines). These perspectives could cap upside until growth proof accumulates. Read More.

Apple 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.