Truist Financial Corp Purchases 194,410 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Truist Financial Corp increased its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,031,344 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 194,410 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 2.4% of Truist Financial Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in Apple were worth $1,790,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the first quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. PKS Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Apple by 98,917.0% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased 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 acquiring an additional 20,079,472 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on AAPL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 price objective on Apple in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Phillip Securities upgraded Apple from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. 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. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $250.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $293.41.

Apple Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of AAPL opened at $272.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.51, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $288.62. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $264.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $258.95. 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 (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The business’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were issued 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 payout ratio is currently 13.15%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

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 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.