Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-two have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $330.6124.

AAPL has been the topic of several analyst reports. China Renaissance downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 5,872 shares of company stock worth $1,823,201 in the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apple

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd acquired a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its position 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is building ahead of Apple’s September 9 product event, the first major launch under new CEO John Ternus. Ternus described the event as “phenomenal,” raising expectations for new premium iPhones and the company’s first foldable iPhone. Apple’s New CEO Teases “Phenomenal” iPhone Launch
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable iPhone could provide a significant new growth catalyst. Morgan Stanley estimates the device could contribute approximately $14 billion to the December quarter, while other projections suggest strong market share and premium pricing potential if demand materializes. Apple’s Foldable iPhone May Contribute $14 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $360 price target, supporting the view that Apple’s product pipeline and earnings growth can justify its premium valuation. Apple’s services business also continues to benefit from price increases to Apple TV and Apple One. Apple TV Price Hike
• Neutral Sentiment: John Ternus has formally succeeded Tim Cook, while Cook remains executive chairman. The structure provides continuity and preserves Cook’s government and China relationships, but Ternus must prove that a product-focused strategy can improve Apple’s position in AI. Apple Leadership Transition
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple to Underperform, reportedly citing the cancellation of an all-glass MacBook or foldable MacBook project and skepticism that the foldable iPhone will be more than a niche product. Jefferies Downgrades Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) UK lawsuit alleging that its App Tracking Transparency rules unfairly restrict third-party developers while favoring Apple’s own advertising services. BASF has also filed a separate patent lawsuit over face-authentication technology. BASF Patent Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory-chip costs could lift iPhone production expenses sharply, forcing Apple to raise prices, accept lower margins or risk weaker demand. Analysts remain divided, with DA Davidson maintaining a Neutral rating and a $270 price target. Apple Product and Leadership Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: An Apple senior vice president sold 1,439 shares worth about $456,000. The sale was relatively small, leaving the executive with nearly 35,800 shares, but it may add modestly to near-term investor caution. Apple Insider Trading Filing

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $328.21 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $314.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $290.13. Apple has a 1-year low of $225.95 and a 1-year high of $344.57. 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 company has a market cap of $4.79 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.08.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for 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%. Apple’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is 12.39%.

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.