Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Price Up 1.5% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) rose 1.5% during trading on Friday. The company traded as high as $341.67 and last traded at $341.07. 29,418,486 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 40% from the average daily volume of 49,404,344 shares. The stock had previously closed at $335.92.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 demand is supporting the rally. Long lines in India and sustained interest in the premium iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max suggest Apple’s pricing power remains intact in a key growth market. Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380 from $365 and maintained an outperform rating. Apple Stock Approaches Buy Point Following Launch Of New iPhone, New CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and product momentum remain favorable. Bank of America issued a buy rating, while recent commentary highlights potential growth from new Macs, the HomePod mini, foldable products and Apple’s efforts to develop its own AI infrastructure. The stock’s monthlong performance has also outpaced the Nasdaq-100, keeping $350 in focus. Apple Just Gained 10% in a Month
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple renewed its global patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm. The agreement, effective April 1, 2027, removes uncertainty around Qualcomm’s licensing relationship with Apple but primarily benefits Qualcomm and underscores Apple’s ongoing reliance on outside modem technology. Qualcomm, Apple Extend Licensing Agreement for Chips
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory-chip costs could pressure margins. Bernstein warned that higher component expenses may reduce gross margin and earnings per share in the December quarter, particularly as Apple introduces more expensive iPhones. Apple’s Expensive New iPhones Could Be a Double-Edged Sword
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and legal risks are becoming more prominent. With Apple valued at roughly $5 trillion and trading at an elevated earnings multiple, some analysts argue the stock already discounts substantial future growth. Separately, a judge certified a class of payment-card issuers in an antitrust lawsuit alleging excessive Apple Pay fees, increasing potential litigation exposure. Credit Unions Win Class Certification in Apple Pay Lawsuit

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AAPL. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Moffett Nathanson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $304.00 price objective (up from $270.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Apple currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.14.

Apple Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $4.98 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $321.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $297.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.06, for a total transaction of $815,803.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,095,603.46. This trade represents a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 11,031 shares of company stock worth $3,535,759 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd bought a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 822.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 260,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $88,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company’s ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.