Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Up 3.2% – Still a Buy?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s share price rose 3.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $266.29 and last traded at $263.88. Approximately 57,946,931 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 6% from the average daily volume of 54,618,629 shares. The stock had previously closed at $255.78.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is accelerating development of AI‑powered wearables (smart glasses, an AI pendant and camera‑equipped AirPods) that would extend Siri into “visual intelligence,” a narrative investors view as a new hardware/services growth vector. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts reiterated bullish views and raised targets (Wedbush maintained an Outperform and $350 target; Dan Ives highlighted large potential AI upside), giving investors confidence that Street expectations for Apple’s AI roadmap and valuation could rise. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market excitement ahead of Apple’s March 4 “special experience” event (multi‑city gatherings expected) is supporting the rally as investors anticipate new hardware and software updates that can broaden revenue streams. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Product and services expansions — Apple rolling out video podcasts and pushing Apple Pay installment options in stores (iOS 26) — reinforce the services monetization story and recurring revenue potential. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway trimmed its Apple stake again in Q4 (continuing recent reductions), but Apple remains one of Berkshire’s largest holdings — a mixed signal that some large investors are rebalancing rather than abandoning the name. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern around delayed Siri upgrades and Apple’s relatively low AI capex vs. peers has weighed on the stock in recent weeks; unresolved Siri performance and reliance on external AI models pose execution and competitive risks. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Sector‑wide scrutiny of AI spending and regulator noise has pressured Big Tech valuations; broader market rotations and scrutiny of AI capex could cap upside if Apple’s AI roadmap slips. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on AAPL shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank set a $330.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Argus set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price objective on Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.13.

Apple Stock Up 3.2%

The stock has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.36, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $266.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $256.48.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Apple

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $69,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 333.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

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.