Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Given New $340.00 Price Target at Sanford C. Bernstein

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) had its price objective upped by Sanford C. Bernstein from $325.00 to $340.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has an outperform rating on the iPhone maker’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on AAPL. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on Apple from $250.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $292.13.

Apple Trading Down 0.3%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $273.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.60, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.09. Apple has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $288.62. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $267.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $255.03. 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 (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Apple will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.15%.

Institutional Trading of Apple

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the third quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,520,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its position in Apple by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 12,326 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,351,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Apple by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 3.7% in the third quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,537 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,174,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target to $340 and kept an “outperform” rating — a sizable upside vs. the current stock level that supports bullish analyst momentum for AAPL.
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein’s Mark Newman says a strong iPhone 17 cycle is driving better‑than‑expected revenue and helped the firm hike its price target. Strong iPhone 17 cycle giving better than expected revenue, says Bernstein’s Mark Newman
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter showed surging revenue and free-cash-flow margins, prompting some analysts and options traders to lift targets and consider bullish option strategies — a direct fundamental tailwind for valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Media and commentators note Apple’s conservative approach to AI capex (avoiding huge data‑center spending) as a profit-preserving advantage versus hyperscalers, reinforcing margin resilience. Jim Cramer on Apple (AAPL): “Doesn’t Hurt That They’ve Avoided Spending Hundreds of Billions of Dollars on Data Centers”
• Positive Sentiment: Supply-chain checks suggest a “solid outlook” for Apple components and inventory, which supports near‑term revenue visibility. Apple in focus as GF says supply chain survey suggests ‘solid outlook’
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple and Google agreed to app‑store changes to satisfy the UK regulator — this reduces regulatory overhang in that market but is incremental to global revenue. Apple and Google agree app store changes to appease UK regulator
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data for Feb. 10 appears to be erroneous (shows zero shares and NaN change) — not a meaningful signal for shares today.
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile investors (e.g., Peter Thiel’s fund) including Apple in a contrarian AI exposure list provides some institutional endorsement but is not a catalyst by itself. Thiel Bypasses Palantir and Nvidia for Meta, Tesla, Apple in Contrarian AI Play
• Negative Sentiment: Several pieces raise caution: some investors warn the Magnificent 7 (including AAPL) could underperform amid rising capex and rotation risks, which can pressure multiples. Why This Investor Thinks Magnificent 7 Stocks May Underperform This Year
• Negative Sentiment: Questions persist in the press about Apple’s AI positioning and whether it may be falling behind peers — any signs of execution gaps on AI could weigh on sentiment and multiples. Is Apple Falling Behind in Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Here’s What CEO Tim Cook Just Said.

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.