Erste Group Bank Has Positive View of Apple FY2026 Earnings

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Apple in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the iPhone maker will earn $8.84 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $8.75. The consensus estimate for Apple’s current full-year earnings is $8.76 per share.

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

AAPL has been the topic of several other research reports. KGI Securities lowered Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, June 8th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Maxim Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $328.60.

Apple Stock Down 1.6%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $308.26 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $309.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $283.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Apple has a fifty-two week low of $223.78 and a fifty-two week high of $344.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.50 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.35, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing memory chips from China’s CXMT for some iPhones and MacBooks sold in China. If approved by U.S. authorities, the move could provide an additional supply source and help mitigate shortages caused by surging AI-related demand. Apple tests China’s CXMT memory chips
• Positive Sentiment: Some Apple-focused investors, including Deepwater Asset Management’s Gene Munster, argue that the shares remain undervalued and that future iPhone price increases, artificial-intelligence features and a potential upgrade cycle could support longer-term growth. Gene Munster disagrees with Apple downgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is scheduled to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share on August 13 to eligible shareholders, providing a modest near-term shareholder return. Apple dividend payment
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple from Hold to Underperform and cut its price target to $263.66 from $285.56. Analyst Edison Lee reportedly believes Apple has scrapped a planned all-glass iPhone because of production challenges, removing a potential premium product that could have lifted average selling prices and profitability. Apple could underperform without an all-glass iPhone
• Negative Sentiment: Memory and storage costs are rising sharply amid the AI-driven supply crunch; reports suggest iPhone 18 production costs could increase by roughly 38%. Apple may need to raise prices, risking weaker demand, or absorb the costs, pressuring margins. Apple’s iPhone 18 costs could jump 38%
• Negative Sentiment: The CXMT testing also introduces geopolitical and execution risks: U.S. restrictions could limit Apple’s access to the supplier, while CXMT’s capacity and technology may lag established memory manufacturers. These issues add uncertainty to Apple’s supply chain and pricing strategy.

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.