Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Time to Buy?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $345.25 and last traded at $343.99. Approximately 35,290,620 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 48,367,219 shares. The stock had previously closed at $339.50.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple said only limited quantities of the $1,999 iPhone Duo will be available for walk-in purchases on October 23. Online orders reportedly sold out within minutes, with some delivery estimates pushed into January 2027, signaling strong initial demand and potential upside to near-term iPhone revenue. Apple will have limited iPhone Duo units available in stores Friday
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Mac launch could provide another catalyst: Apple scheduled a “Pro and Tell” event for October 28, where analysts expect new Macs and potentially a touchscreen MacBook Pro. New products could support Mac growth and investor enthusiasm ahead of earnings. Apple October 28 product event
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term ecosystem and geographic growth remain supportive: Analysts continue to highlight Apple’s large installed base and potential to monetize artificial intelligence through its devices and services. Separately, Apple’s India revenue reportedly rose 31% in fiscal 2026, with profit up 66%, underscoring growth opportunities outside its most mature markets. AI buildout and Apple installed base
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply-chain and regulatory developments: Apple committed up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier, which may improve domestic supply resilience but also reflects production constraints surrounding the iPhone Duo. UK regulators are also proposing easier access for competing contactless-payment services on the iPhone, creating a potential longer-term risk to Apple Pay.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade highlights valuation and iPhone risks: Loop Capital cut Apple to Hold and lowered its price target to $330, citing slower iPhone shipment expectations and questions about demand. With Apple trading near its 52-week high at roughly 39 times earnings, investors may be increasingly sensitive to any growth disappointment. Apple gets downgrade from Loop Capital
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure is another concern: UBS expects Apple’s upcoming fiscal fourth-quarter results to be broadly in line with estimates but warned that higher memory and other component costs, combined with slowing iPhone growth, could pressure gross margins and earnings momentum.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AAPL. Evercore set a $380.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Maxim Group raised their price target on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $245.00 price target (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.12.

Apple Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market cap of $5.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.45, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day moving average of $327.22 and a 200 day moving average of $307.80.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.05, for a total transaction of $480,309.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,539 shares in the company, valued at $6,051,831.95. The trade was a 7.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.40, for a total value of $442,112.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,288 shares in the company, valued at $13,224,675.20. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 284,454 shares of company stock valued at $94,662,594. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Income Insurance Ltd boosted its position in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the third quarter. Income Insurance Ltd now owns 45,737 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $15,231,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Wavvest Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,629,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its stake in Apple by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 331,866 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $110,518,000 after buying an additional 2,175 shares in the last quarter. Element Pointe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Element Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 18,171 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $6,051,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Partners Inc. grew its position in Apple by 1.4% in the third quarter. Guardian Partners Inc. now owns 84,678 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $28,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc designs, develops and sells 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 applications that support its hardware ecosystem.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple Pay and other subscription, payment and digital-content offerings.