Meridian Financial Partners LLC Sells 117 Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

On February 26, 2025, it was reported that Meridian Financial Partners LLC has slightly decreased its investment in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter of the previous year. The firm's active position now includes a total of 33,971 shares after selling 117 shares in that time frame.

Apple makes up about 4.5% of Meridian Financial Partners LLC's overall portfolio, ranking as the fourth largest holding within their investments. As of the most recent reporting period, these Apple shares were valued at approximately $8,507,000.

Several other big investors have also adjusted their stakes in Apple. For instance, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 16.8%, now owning 468,966 shares, which amounts to $117,438,000 after acquiring 67,346 additional shares. Similarly, Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its position by 7.4%, holding 82,903 shares valued at $20,761,000 after purchasing 5,693 more shares.

San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC also expanded their holdings in Apple by 2.3%, now possessing 141,196 shares worth $35,358,000 following an additional purchase of 3,223 shares during the same quarter. Additionally, the Board of the Pension Protection Fund established a new position in Apple, valued at about $902,000. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew their position by 4.5%, acquiring 12,466 more shares to reach a total of 291,250 shares valued at $72,935,000. Overall, institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Various research analysts have recently revised their price targets for Apple shares. For example, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target from $240.00 to $260.00 while maintaining an “outperform” rating. Wedbush reiterated their “outperform” rating and set a price target of $325.00. Barclays also adjusted their target, increasing it to $197.00, although they rated the stock as “underweight.” Redburn Partners set a price target of $230.00. Moreover, Bank of America increased its target from $253.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating. In total, four analysts hold a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty-one a buy rating, and two have assigned a strong buy rating. According to MarketBeat.com, the consensus rating for Apple is currently “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $243.88.

Apple Stock Performance

As of Wednesday, the shares of Apple opened at $247.04. The company possesses a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, while its quick and current ratios stand at 0.88 and 0.92 respectively. Over the past year, Apple shares reached a low of $164.07 and a high of $260.10. The market capitalization is estimated at $3.71 trillion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.21 and a PEG ratio of 2.44. The fifty-day moving average is at $240.26, and the 200-day moving average is $233.34.

Apple recently reported its quarterly earnings on January 30, where it announced earnings per share of $2.40, surpassing the consensus estimate by $0.04. Their return on equity stands at an impressive 160.83%, with a net margin of 24.30%. Analysts project that Apple will post an earnings per share of 7.28 for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

Moreover, Apple declared a quarterly dividend, paid on February 13. Shareholders on record by February 10 received $0.25, translating to an annualized dividend of $1.00 with a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was also set for February 10. Currently, Apple’s payout ratio is at 15.87%.

Insider Transactions

In recent insider trading news, Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey E. Williams sold 100,000 shares of Apple's stock on December 16 at an average price of $249.97, amounting to a total of $24,997,000. Post-transaction, he retains a total of 389,944 shares valued at approximately $97 million, which indicates a decrease of 20.41% in his holdings. This transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, highlighting that 0.06% of the stock is presently owned by company insiders.

About Apple

Apple Inc. is involved in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of a range of products including smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and various accessories. Its key product lines include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPads, and Apple-branded accessories such as AirPods and Apple Watches.

Meridian, Apple, Investment