Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $291.6991.

AAPL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Maxim Group upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Apple to an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Stephens set a $315.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 2nd.

Institutional Trading of Apple

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV raised its stake in Apple by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 61,329 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $16,673,000 after acquiring an additional 966 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Apple by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 183,044 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $49,762,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419 shares during the period. New Millennium Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. New Millennium Group LLC now owns 43,659 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $11,869,000 after purchasing an additional 5,058 shares during the last quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC now owns 81,508 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $22,159,000 after purchasing an additional 4,258 shares during the period. Finally, Americana Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 582,088 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $158,246,000 after purchasing an additional 125,467 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $278.12 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $268.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $254.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Apple has a 1 year low of $169.21 and a 1 year high of $288.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.16, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.40 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Apple will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. Apple’s payout ratio is 13.15%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple preparing to allow third‑party voice AI/chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) in CarPlay — a strategic shift that could boost in‑car services, user engagement and partnerships across the AI ecosystem. Apple plans to allow external voice-controlled AI chatbots in CarPlay
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 results (higher‑than‑expected revenue and EPS, large iPhone sales) continue to support investor confidence and explain why AAPL is outperforming many Big Tech peers after the AI‑led sell‑off.
• Positive Sentiment: EU says Apple Ads and Apple Maps should not be designated under the Digital Markets Act — avoids potential regulatory constraints and commercial disruption in Europe. Apple Ads and Apple Maps should not be designated under Digital Markets Act, says EU
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and bullish price targets remain — several firms have reiterated Outperform/Overweight calls and above‑consensus targets (median recent target ~$310), underpinning investor interest. Evercore ISI stays Outperform on Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in new Big Tech ETF offerings and continued institutional buying signal durable demand from funds and passive vehicles. Big Tech Core: New Burney ETF Packs Apple, Nvidia, Google, Broadcom Punch
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data currently shows anomalies (reporting zeros/NaN) and offers no clear signal on bearish positioning — not market‑moving as reported.
• Neutral Sentiment: Global memory‑chip shortages raise questions about iPhone pricing vs. margin trade‑offs; could preserve margins (price increases) or dent volume if Apple raises prices — impact unclear near term. Pricier iPhones? Global memory chip crunch puts spotlight on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Apple has scaled back its AI health‑coach initiative (project “Mulberry”), highlighting execution and monetization challenges for new paid services tied to health/wearables. That could temper parts‑of‑services growth expectations. Apple Scales Back AI Health Coach Plans
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing insider selling is visible in regulatory filings; while routine at large cap firms, it can be interpreted negatively by some investors when concentrated.

Apple Company Profile

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.