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

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-two have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $284.0715.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. CLSA increased their target price on Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Argus set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $255.53 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $271.51 and a 200-day moving average of $249.32. Apple has a 52-week low of $169.21 and a 52-week high of $288.62. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.76 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.21, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly 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. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The firm had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Apple will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its stake in Apple by 6.4% during the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares during the last quarter. Ryan Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 110.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its stake in Apple by 333.3% during the second quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Holiday-quarter strength in China: iPhone 17 shipments rebounded and Apple reclaimed the top spot in China’s smartphone market, supporting revenue durability in a key region. Apple tops China smartphone sales as iPhone 17 defies chip shortage
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability improvement: Reports highlight Apple achieved ~+13% adjusted EPS growth, reinforcing that earnings momentum remains intact even as investors debate valuation. Apple (AAPL) Achieved an Adjusted EPS Growth of +13%
• Positive Sentiment: Apple Card shift to JPMorgan: JPMorgan Chase taking over the Apple Card from Goldman Sachs signals a strategic partner move that may stabilize the card program and payments revenue. JPMorgan Chase Is About to Take Over the Apple Card Business From Goldman Sachs. Here’s What Investors Need to Know.
• Neutral Sentiment: Siri AI collaboration with Google: Apple’s move to integrate Google’s Gemini into Siri could boost AI capabilities but raises strategic questions about Google reliance and long-term differentiation. Impact depends on execution and regulatory optics. As Apple Teams Up with Google on Siri AI Upgrades, Should You Buy AAPL Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: App ecosystem signal: New Apple Watch apps (e.g., MOJO KING) show continued third‑party innovation leveraging Apple’s wearables, a modest positive for Services/Hardware attach but not a material driver alone. 6Letters Launches “MOJO KING,” an Apple Watch-Based iOS App for Non-Invasive Testosterone Monitoring
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk in India: A key antitrust hearing is set for Jan. 27, adding near-term legal and market-access uncertainty in a large growth market. Traders may be marking down risk exposure ahead of the date. Dear Apple Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for January 27
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment and positioning: Jim Cramer said it “worries” him that buyers haven’t stepped in, reflecting cautious retail/institutional appetite and contributing to short‑term selling pressure. Jim Cramer on Apple: “It worries me that the buyers haven’t figured out to buy it yet”
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/sector rotation: Coverage notes the “Magnificent Seven” are diverging as the AI trade cools; that group-level rotation is pressuring Apple alongside some hedge fund stake trimming. The Magnificent Seven Drove Markets. Now They’re Pulling in Different Directions.

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.