Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Raised to “Buy” at Maxim Group

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Maxim Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Friday. The brokerage currently has a $300.00 target price on the iPhone maker’s stock. Maxim Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 16.15% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on AAPL. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their price target on Apple from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Argus set a $325.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, CLSA boosted their price objective on Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.92.

Apple Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $258.28 on Friday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $268.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $251.07. The company has a market cap of $3.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.09. Apple has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total value of $1,017,654.96. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its stake in Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC lifted its position in 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, PayPay Securities Corp grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 365 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and strong guidance — Apple posted revenue of ~$143.8B (+16% YoY) and EPS $2.84, above estimates, and gave upside revenue/gross-margin guidance for the next quarter, which reassured investors on near-term growth and profitability. Apple reports first quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Record iPhone demand and China rebound — iPhone revenue hit a record (reported as ~$85.3B) with especially strong sales in Greater China, supporting the top line and services upside. Apple sales, profit beat Wall Street estimates amid ‘staggering’ iPhone demand
• Positive Sentiment: AI M&A signals capability build — Apple acquired Israeli audio-AI startup Q.ai (reported ~ $2B), a tangible step to bolster its on-device and audio AI capabilities. Apple acquires audio AI startup Q.ai
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Citi reiterated a Buy and $315 target today, reinforcing upside expectations among some sell‑side analysts. Apple: Resilient Fundamentals, AI Partnership, and Upcoming Product Cycles Support Buy Rating and $315 Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared — Apple announced a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share (record Feb 9, payable Feb 12); modest yield, but standard cash-return policy that has limited immediate market impact.
• Negative Sentiment: Memory shortage and rising costs — Apple flagged tighter global memory supply and higher memory prices driven by AI demand, a factor that could compress gross margins if costs persist. Memory Shortage Haunts Apple’s Blowout iPhone Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Supply prioritization may limit volume — Reports say Apple will prioritize production of its highest‑end iPhone models in 2026 and delay some standard-model rollouts, which can boost ASPs but cap unit growth and frustrate demand. Apple to prioritize premium iPhone launches in 2026, Nikkei Asia reports
• Negative Sentiment: Market wants clearer AI roadmap — Despite the beat, investors reacted tepidly in part because Apple provided limited new detail on its large-scale AI strategy and monetization plans, leaving some upside contingent on execution. Gene Munster Says Apple Stock’s Tepid Reaction To Strong Earnings Beat Comes Down To One Thing: Investors Want More AI Substance

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.