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

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the forty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, twenty-six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $340.14.

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. CICC Research raised their price objective on Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Loop Capital set a $380.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.06, for a total value of $815,803.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 44,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,095,603.46. This trade represents a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 11,031 shares of company stock valued at $3,535,759 in the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apple

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Prospect Hill Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at about $16,064,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth about $9,513,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $338.40 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple has a twelve month low of $243.42 and a twelve month high of $345.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.94 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $321.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $298.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Apple will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s renewed patent agreement with Qualcomm helps preserve access to important cellular technology and reduces uncertainty surrounding future iPhone launches. The deal also supports Qualcomm’s royalty stream tied to Apple devices. What Is Going on With Qualcomm Stock on Monday?
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is increasing orders for TSMC’s next-generation 2-nanometer chips point to continued investment in more powerful and efficient processors for future iPhones and other products. TSMC Ramps Up 2nm Chip Capacity as Apple, Nvidia Orders Jump
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo and premium-device strategy could lift revenue and expand its addressable market, but the roughly $2,000 price raises questions about demand beyond affluent early adopters. Apple’s Premium iPhone Strategy Faces a Test Beyond Early Adopters
• Neutral Sentiment: X Corp. and SpaceXAI reportedly moved to dismiss antitrust claims against Apple and OpenAI, removing one legal challenge, although other regulatory matters remain unresolved. Musk’s X Corp and SpaceXAI Drop Apple From AI Antitrust Fight
• Negative Sentiment: A U.S. jury ordered Apple to pay approximately $5.7 billion to Taction Technology for infringing patents covering haptic feedback used in products such as the iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple denies wrongdoing and plans to appeal, but the potential liability is the largest U.S. patent award of its kind. Apple and Amazon Face Revived UK Consumer Lawsuit Over Product Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Britain’s Competition Appeal Tribunal revived part of a consumer case alleging that Apple and Amazon restricted competition for Apple products sold through Amazon’s U.K. marketplace. Apple also faces an expanded Indian investigation into alleged costly repairs following an iOS 18 software update, increasing potential legal and reputational risk. Apple and Amazon Face Revived UK Consumer Lawsuit Over Product Sales

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and software platforms, including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and visionOS.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ and iCloud.