Erste Group Bank Brokers Boost Earnings Estimates for Apple

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Apple in a report issued on Thursday, October 8th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the iPhone maker will post earnings of $9.57 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $9.56. The consensus estimate for Apple’s current full-year earnings is $8.75 per share.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. KGI Securities downgraded shares of Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Loop Capital set a $380.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Arete Research increased their price objective on Apple from $305.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.39.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $340.97 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.98 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.10, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $323.36 and a 200 day moving average of $303.99. Apple has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $345.34.

Institutional Trading of Apple

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd purchased a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 822.7% in the second quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 260,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $88,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Timothy Cook sold 191,753 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,086,837,377.28. The trade was a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.01, for a total transaction of $796,491.99. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 39,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,145,271.93. The trade was a 5.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 279,383 shares of company stock valued at $92,912,517 in the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support strengthened. JPMorgan raised its Apple price target from $340 to $360 and maintained an Overweight rating, while Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and kept a $370 target. Analysts cited the iPhone 18 cycle and manageable competitive risks. Apple Stock Climbs as JPMorgan Lifts Target, BofA Reiterates Buy
• Positive Sentiment: iPhone momentum remains a key catalyst. Counterpoint data showed Apple reaching a 22% global smartphone share in the third quarter, just behind Samsung, as premium iPhone 18 Pro demand offset an overall market contraction. Reports also indicate strong orders for Apple’s new foldable iPhone. Apple Stock Nears Record High as iPhone Market Share Hits 22%
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is preparing a smart-home push. The “Welcome Home” event is expected to introduce products such as a HomeView hub, updated Apple TV and HomePod mini, potentially filling a major gap in Apple’s ecosystem and creating new recurring-services opportunities. Apple’s Best Defense in the AI Race Could Be Winning Your Home
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is promoting Safari’s privacy, distraction-control and battery-life advantages in a new campaign targeting Chrome users. The effort may improve engagement within Apple’s ecosystem but is unlikely to materially affect near-term revenue. Apple’s New Switch to Safari Campaign
• Negative Sentiment: AI execution remains a concern. Gene Munster warned that Apple could lose user engagement and future AI monetization if Siri improvements lag rivals such as Meta’s Muse and xAI’s Grok.
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX’s Starlink creates a longer-term threat. Analysts say a Starlink smartphone or wireless service could pressure carrier subsidies that help support iPhone sales and challenge Apple’s premium-device position. SpaceX’s Starlink Could Pose Risks to Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Reported reductions in iPhone 18 production orders, rising memory costs and a valuation above the consensus price target present near-term risks ahead of Apple’s October 29 earnings report.

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.