Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $330.6124.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Apple Trading Up 2.6%

Apple stock opened at $325.13 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $313.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $289.18. Apple has a 52 week low of $225.95 and a 52 week high of $344.57. The stock has a market cap of $4.75 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Apple will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: John Ternus takes over with an encouraging product message: The longtime hardware engineering chief officially became CEO, while Tim Cook remains as executive chairman. Ternus reportedly told employees that a “huge” and “phenomenal” iPhone launch is coming next week, supporting expectations for strong product momentum and potential interest in a foldable iPhone. John Ternus hypes huge launch next week in first memo as Apple CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism is providing additional support: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and a $380 price target, citing an opportunity for Apple to achieve “device dominance” in the AI era. Rosenblatt also raised its target to $303, though it maintained a Neutral rating, underscoring the mixed outlook at current prices. Bank of America sees device dominance ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Services and Mac demand remain potential growth catalysts: Apple’s price increases for Apple TV and Apple One highlight ecosystem pricing power and could lift high-margin services revenue. Separately, reported shortages of high-memory Mac mini and Mac Studio models suggest developers and businesses may be using Apple Silicon for local AI workloads. Cook out, Silicon in: Will Ternus trigger Apple’s edge AI boom?
• Neutral Sentiment: Continuity may reduce transition risk: Cook’s $47 million compensation package as executive chair signals that he will remain influential, including on government and strategic matters. However, Ternus must establish authority while succeeding a CEO whose tenure produced extraordinary shareholder returns. Tim Cook to be paid $47 million as Apple’s executive chair
• Negative Sentiment: Key risks remain concentrated in AI, costs and valuation: Apple is still viewed as behind rivals in AI and faces pressure to improve Siri. Memory shortages could weigh on hardware margins, while shares trade near record levels at roughly 37 times earnings. Apple also faces an escalating trade-secret lawsuit with OpenAI, which has called the claims baseless. Apple enters John Ternus era as AI challenges and memory crunch intensify

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.95, for a total value of $447,457.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 37,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,576,357.55. This represents a 3.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,433 shares of company stock worth $1,367,024. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avenir Tech Ltd acquired a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.