Apple Inc. $AAPL is Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s 2nd Largest Position

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,549,408 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 281,020 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 6.8% of Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Apple were worth $648,646,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. raised its stake in Apple by 13.2% in the second quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. now owns 3,552 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $729,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.6% during the second quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,740,000 after acquiring an additional 2,920 shares in the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $101,301,000 after purchasing an additional 8,446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its position in Apple by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 1,426,605 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $363,256,000 after purchasing an additional 465,393 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New MacBook Air/Pro lineup with M5 chips and revamped Studio Displays reinforces Apple’s device‑level AI strategy and supports higher ASPs and services attachment. Apple launches new generation of MacBook laptops
• Positive Sentiment: Apple introduced a lower‑cost iPhone 17e (starting $599) and upgraded iPad Air, which should help defend share in price‑sensitive markets and broaden upgrade cycles. Apple launches iPhone 17e
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America keeps a Buy rating and $325 price target, citing sustained services momentum and device‑level AI upside — a bullish analyst endorsement for medium‑term upside. BofA maintains Buy on Apple
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data showed a reported large increase but the published figures read as 0 shares/NaN (days‑to‑cover 0.0) — likely a reporting glitch, so no clear bearish signal from short sellers at this time.
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target modestly (from $239 to $248) but kept an “underweight” rating — a mixed signal (higher PT but continued cautious stance). Barclays raises PT but stays underweight
• Negative Sentiment: Apple increased MacBook prices (Air up ~$100; Pro up more, some models +$400) as memory‑chip shortages and rising component costs push up ASPs — this can boost near‑term revenue but risks dampening unit demand and margin visibility. Apple raises MacBook prices amid chip shortage
• Negative Sentiment: Warren Buffett/Berkshire materially trimmed its Apple stake (reports say a ~75% sale in his final filings), a high‑profile shareholder reduction that can amplify near‑term selling pressure and sentiment risk. How Berkshire Hathaway performed during Buffett’s final quarter

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $296.07.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $263.75 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.21 and a 52-week high of $288.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $264.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.05.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

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.