Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Bought by West Bancorporation Inc.

West Bancorporation Inc. increased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 17.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,119 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,502 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 2.4% of West Bancorporation Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. West Bancorporation Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $4,359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. boosted its position in shares of Apple by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. now owns 3,552 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $729,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Apple by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,920 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust increased its position in Apple by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 195,482 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $40,107,000 after acquiring an additional 4,543 shares in the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 17.9% in the second quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 2.2% during 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 during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AAPL. Bank of America raised their target price on Apple from $270.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 target price (up previously from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $241.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on Apple and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Melius Research set a $345.00 target price on Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $282.80.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reuters reports Apple expects its strongest iPhone sales growth in four years and highlights the company’s new Google AI tie‑up (Siri/Gemini) as a key catalyst for services and device momentum. Strong iPhone sales to power Apple’s holiday quarter, Google AI deal in focus
• Positive Sentiment: TipRanks reports Apple is among firms planning to diversify future chip production away from TSMC (Intel/Nvidia/Apple discussions), which could improve supply resilience for future iPhone/AI silicon needs. Intel Stock Skyrockets as Nvidia and Apple Partner with Intel to Diversify 2028 Chip Production Away from TSMC
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s Gemini‑powered Siri rollout (expected in February) reinforces the company’s AI roadmap and could help Services monetization and engagement. Apple’s Gemini‑Powered Siri Arrives in February – Will Q1 Earnings Reflect AI Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support is helping sentiment: recent analyst notes and upgrades (including JPMorgan coverage) point to upside to current levels and reinforce a buy‑on‑dip narrative. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are pricing a notable post‑earnings move (~4% implied), which raises near‑term volatility around tomorrow’s report—this is a market signal rather than a directional call. Apple Is About to Report Q1 Earnings. Options Traders Are Expecting a 4-15% Move in AAPL Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market and Fed focus (earnings from other megacaps, central bank status) could amplify moves in AAPL independent of company‑specific results. Nasdaq called higher ahead of Fed decision and trio of Mag 7 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Apple was sued in the U.S., accused of antitrust violations and allegedly misappropriating camera technology — a legal cloud that could lead to costs, distraction and reputational risk if it escalates. Apple sued for allegedly breaking US antitrust law, stealing camera tech
• Negative Sentiment: High‑profile disclosures show Pelosi’s filing included a large Apple share sale (~$50M), which markets may read as a negative signal or de‑risking by a prominent holder. Pelosi’s $69M Trade Filing Shows Apple Trim and Fresh Megacap Call Bets
• Negative Sentiment: Some boutiques (Aletheia) remain bearish and have cut price targets, citing margin pressure on hardware—this keeps a portion of sell‑side sentiment cautious into earnings. Aletheia Maintains Sell on Apple (AAPL), Lowers Target Price

Apple Stock Down 0.6%

AAPL stock opened at $256.76 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $269.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $250.98. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.21 and a twelve month high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.65 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is 13.92%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total transaction of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.