Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Up 1.1% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) rose 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $305.00 to $315.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Apple traded as high as $261.95 and last traded at $258.27. Approximately 48,784,771 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 1% from the average daily volume of 49,299,301 shares. The stock had previously closed at $255.41.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on AAPL. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 price objective on Apple in a report on Friday, October 31st. Melius Research set a $345.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Apple from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $282.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of Apple 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,030.54. The trade was a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $315 and kept an overweight stance, citing strong iPhone demand — a bullish analyst catalyst that supports upside expectations into earnings. Apple gets price target boost from JPMorgan
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is rolling out a Gemini‑powered Siri in February (Google partnership), which investors view as tangible AI progress that could show up in services engagement and long-term monetization. Apple’s Gemini‑Powered Siri Arrives in February
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is expanding App Store ad opportunities for developers in March, which could lift Services revenue over time and give investors another near-term monetization vector. Apple’s Expanded Ad Opportunities For Developers Coming in March
• Neutral Sentiment: The market is setting up for a volatile earnings week (Magnificent 7 plus a Fed meeting); option markets expect a roughly 4% move for AAPL around the print, raising short-term event risk despite positive catalysts. Options traders expect a 4.15% move
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile portfolio moves (Pelosi filing) show large Apple share sales paired with LEAPS purchases — signals range from tax/rebalancing to continued long-term conviction; adds noise but not a clear directional signal. Pelosi’s Bullish 2026 Buy List
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed its outlook (lowered price target) pointing to slowing App Store growth and Google ad competition — risks to Services growth are being priced in by some sell‑side firms. Jefferies Flags App Store and Google Ad Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Smaller shops (Aletheia) maintain sell ratings and lowered targets arguing hardware margin pressure — downside risk if Apple reports weaker-than-expected iPhone margins or conservative guidance. Aletheia Maintains Sell on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/PR overhang: outlets report combined settlements over alleged voice‑data issues (Apple + Google), a headline risk that could fuel short-term investor caution around guidance and services commentary. Google, Apple to pay combined $163M to settle lawsuits

Institutional Trading of Apple

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First National Bank of Hutchinson raised its holdings in Apple by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $8,845,000 after acquiring an additional 6,982 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,544,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Apple by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $134,554,000 after buying an additional 69,207 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $16,742,000 after buying an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Trading Up 1.1%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $269.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.80 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The company had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

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.