UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Trims Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 374,223 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 7,732 shares during the period. Apple makes up 5.3% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Apple were worth $95,289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. 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 lifted its position in Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC grew 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 worth $53,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 41.0% in the 2nd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price target on Apple in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Stephens set a $315.00 price target on Apple in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $292.13.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $260.58 on Friday. 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’s fifty day moving average is $265.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $256.99. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62. The company has a market capitalization of $3.83 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The business’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.40 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirms an Outperform rating and a high target, arguing Apple’s AI roadmap and upcoming product cadence could deliver meaningful upside — supportive for investor sentiment. Wedbush Reaffirms “Outperform”
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is accelerating AI/hardware work (reports of new AI wearables and device tests), which bolsters the growth narrative beyond the iPhone and supports future revenue streams. Apple stock quietly moves on a surprising AI hardware bet
• Positive Sentiment: Distribution and services expansions — Apple TV struck a deal to bring live sports to bars/hotels (EverPass), and car‑key expansion (Toyota) extend ecosystem monetization opportunities. These are incremental service revenue catalysts. Apple TV partners with EverPass Media Apple Set to Bring Car Keys to Toyota
• Positive Sentiment: Some institutional buyers are adding to AAPL positions (examples include Mairs & Power and other managers boosting stakes), signaling pockets of conviction among asset managers. Mairs & Power Boosts Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s AI moves remain measured — the company is adding music‑focused generative features and positioning differently than hyperscalers; this reduces some AI downside but leaves room for mixed near‑term reaction. Google Gemini, Apple add music-focused AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: this week’s broader tech rotation/sell‑off (including Microsoft, AMD, Nvidia pressure) is pressuring megacap momentum; some coverage highlights Apple’s decoupling from the Nasdaq as both a risk and stabilizer. ChatGPT picks 2 stocks Apple decouples from Nasdaq
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway trimmed its large Apple stake in the latest filing — Buffett’s reduction (and broad press around “Buffett dumps more Apple”) is a high‑profile negative that can sap investor confidence even if the company remains a core holding. Buffett Dumps More Apple Berkshire trims Apple stake
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: West Virginia sued Apple alleging iCloud is used to distribute child sexual abuse material — a serious legal headline that creates execution and reputational risk until resolved. Apple sued over CSAM on iCloud
• Negative Sentiment: Several managers trimmed AAPL holdings (e.g., Wedgewood), adding to headlines about selling pressure and feeding short‑term volatility. Wedgewood Cuts Apple Stake

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.