Apple Inc. (AAPL) – What Are Brokerages Thinking About This Stock?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the forty-three analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $340.12.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AAPL. Daiwa Securities Group increased their target price on shares of Apple from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Evercore set a $380.00 price target on Apple and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $303.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price target on Apple and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This trade represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Townsend & Associates Inc increased its position in shares of Apple by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 12,956 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,450,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 8,488 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,827,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. First Interstate Bank lifted its position in shares of Apple by 11.1% during the third quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 84,894 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $28,271,000 after purchasing an additional 8,495 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 1.8% during the third quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 324,453 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $108,049,000 after purchasing an additional 5,885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Straight Path Wealth Management grew its stake in Apple by 26.4% in the third quarter. Straight Path Wealth Management now owns 4,841 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,612,000 after purchasing an additional 1,011 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $347.73. The stock had a trading volume of 39,459,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,034,144. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $329.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.34. Apple has a fifty-two week low of $243.42 and a fifty-two week high of $351.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.07 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.88, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Apple will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is 12.39%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the primary catalyst. The foldable phone launched globally Friday amid long lines, limited store inventory and reports that preorders are backordered into 2027. Supply-chain reports indicate Apple raised its first-year shipment target by 44%, to roughly 14 million units. The premium product could expand Apple’s addressable market and support revenue growth. Apple fans react as iPhone Duo hits stores
• Positive Sentiment: The launch strengthens Apple’s broader hardware and services roadmap. Analysts are evaluating whether the Duo can drive accessory, software and services revenue, while potential touchscreen Macs, smart-home products and an Apple-Schneider Electric energy-management partnership provide additional growth opportunities. Will Apple take over the smart home
• Positive Sentiment: Apple briefly reclaimed the title of world’s most valuable public company. AAPL approached or surpassed Nvidia’s approximately $5 trillion valuation as Nvidia shares weakened during a broader AI-stock selloff. Investors are treating Apple’s substantial cash generation and lower AI infrastructure spending as a relative safe haven. Apple tops Nvidia in market value
• Neutral Sentiment: The next major test is earnings. Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter results are expected November 2, with investors looking for evidence that iPhone Duo demand, holiday sales and margins justify a stock trading near 40 times earnings. Analysts remain broadly constructive, but the average price target is close to recent trading levels.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risks remain significant. Some early users have reported cracked foldable screens, while reviews cite first-generation glitches, a $2,000 price and limitations involving the camera and apps. These issues could affect returns, customer satisfaction and adoption.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a modest cautionary signal. Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold approximately $815,000 of AAPL shares, following several similar sales. The transaction is small relative to Apple’s size but may reinforce concerns that the stock has become expensive.

About Apple

Apple Inc designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware ecosystem.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple Pay and other subscription, payment and digital-content offerings.