Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Has $383.78 Million Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,507,195 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 106,350 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 2.4% of Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $383,777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its stake in Apple by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 5,808 shares during the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 110.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 15.7% in the third quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 298,920 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 40,543 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new low-cost devices (MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e) broaden addressable market and could win share versus cheaper Windows/Chromebooks — a strategic growth lever even if it pressures near-term margins. How Apple’s new low-cost MacBook Neo may shake up the market
• Positive Sentiment: Early Formula 1 ratings for AppleTV’s exclusive U.S. stream were strong, supporting the thesis that exclusive sports/content deals can grow Services subscriptions and engagement over time. Apple Gets Early Formula 1 Ratings Win
• Positive Sentiment: India’s plan to roll fresh smartphone manufacturing incentives could help Apple expand local production and improve margin/market access over the medium term. India plans fresh incentives for phone production
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed: a few firms raised targets or reiterated buys while others stay cautious/neutral; median price targets remain above the market, keeping a longer-term bullish backdrop but no unanimous near-term catalyst. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Apple cut its mainland China App Store commission to 25% (and mini-app fees to 12%) after regulator talks — good for developer relations but a direct hit to Services take-rate and near-term revenue in its second‑largest market. Apple cuts China App Store commission fees after government pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Strong insider selling and social/board chatter about a tech pullback and China demand risks are weighing on sentiment — traders are highlighting technical weakness and short-term bearish views. Apple Stock Opinions on Tech Sector Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and supply‑chain risks (memory/storage cost inflation and geopolitical disruption tied to the Iran war) could raise component costs and compress device margins if Apple absorbs price moves to hold consumer prices. The Iran War Could Upend AI. Here’s How.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL stock opened at $250.12 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.67 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $262.08 and its 200 day moving average is $261.74. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on AAPL. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.58.

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.