Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Given “Neutral” Rating at Rosenblatt Securities

Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Rosenblatt Securities currently has a $268.00 price objective on the iPhone maker’s stock.

AAPL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Apple from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $303.06.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $266.17 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $259.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $264.34. Apple has a twelve month low of $193.25 and a twelve month high of $288.62. The firm has a market cap of $3.91 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.11.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The business had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Apple will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.15%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $833,980,668.14. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,520,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Apple by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Apple by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $515,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its position in Apple by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $293,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 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: Apple promoted Johny Srouji to chief hardware officer and consolidated hardware leadership, signaling faster in‑house silicon development and tighter integration across iPhone and Mac — a tailwind for margins and product differentiation. Apple’s elevation of Johny Srouji
• Positive Sentiment: China demand is improving: reports show a large year‑over‑year jump in iPhone shipments in China, supporting near‑term revenue and offsetting some macro worries. China iPhone shipments jump 20%
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms reaffirm bullish views (including high price targets) arguing the succession preserves continuity while positioning Apple to leverage hardware + AI — a reason some investors view any dip as a buying opportunity. Analyst reactions and price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Succession is orderly: Tim Cook will become executive chairman and the board approved the internal promotion, which reduces governance risk versus an external hire. That provides continuity but not an immediate strategic shift. Apple Appoints John Ternus CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s recent quarterly results and revenue beat still underpin the company’s valuation; earnings coming at month‑end remain an important catalyst. Post‑Cook future and earnings outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction is cautious: headlines emphasizing Apple’s AI “gap” and whether a hardware executive can accelerate AI services have driven selling pressure and wider implied option ranges. WSJ on challenges for John Ternus
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term technical and derivatives signals: unusual put activity and expanded post‑announcement volatility suggest traders are hedging or betting on a wider post‑transition trading range. Unusual put options activity
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Apple’s withholding of data in an India antitrust probe remains an unresolved legal overhang that could lead to fines or restrictions in a large market. India antitrust case

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.