Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Bought by Tufton Capital Management

Tufton Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 100,130 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,157 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 4.5% of Tufton Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in Apple were worth $25,496,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 3.7% in the third quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $293,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,174,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 18,011 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,695,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Apple by 1.8% during 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. Finally, Uncommon Cents Investing LLC grew 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 worth $2,701,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Maxim Group upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. KGI Securities upgraded Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 target price on the stock in a 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. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.13.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple will move some Mac Mini production from Asia to a Foxconn facility in Houston and expand U.S. assembly capacity — a step toward reshoring that reduces geopolitical/supply risk and supports business continuity (production expected to begin later this year). Apple To Move Part Of Mac Mini Production To Texas, Expand Houston Facility
• Positive Sentiment: Broader push to onshore chip and assembly work: WSJ/Reuters coverage shows Apple spearheading U.S. chip and supplier buildouts — this improves long-term supply security for Apple silicon but implies higher capex and longer payback. Investors see this as strategic insurance versus concentration in Asia. Apple Plans to Manufacture Mac Mini in Houston
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product event (March 4) is expected to include multiple launches — reports cite iPhone 17E, lower‑priced MacBooks and an iPad with M4 — creating a near-term demand/catalyst runway that traders are pricing in. Apple Could Launch at Least Five New Products, Including iPhone 17E, Next Week
• Positive Sentiment: Street support remains solid: several firms maintain buy/outperform views and the median 6‑month target sits well above current levels — bolstering sentiment even as the market debates AI timing. Apple to Build Mac Mini in Houston — What It Means for AAPL Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Research and commentary suggest Apple may be less exposed to an AI “bubble” than pure‑play AI names, but Apple’s AI features (Siri/Apple Intelligence) have seen delays — a mixed impact on valuation versus execution risk. New Research Says: Apple Could Be Safe From AI Bubble Fears
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling and uneven institutional repositioning have been reported (multiple senior insider sales and mixed hedge fund moves), which can weigh on sentiment if sustained. Apple Stock (AAPL) Opinions on AI Wearables Development
• Negative Sentiment: Critiques around Apple’s slower AI rollout (and headlines calling the strategy “lazy”) keep a portion of investors cautious about near‑term growth versus competitors aggressively spending on AI infrastructure. How Apple’s Lazy AI Strategy Could Crush the Competition

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $266.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $264.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $258.44. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62. The stock has a market cap of $3.91 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.09. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $143.76 billion for 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.40 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. 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 currently 13.15%.

Apple Company 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.