Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation, twenty-three have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $283.92.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 target price on Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. DZ Bank upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, October 27th.

Apple Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $273.40 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $272.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $242.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $4.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.60, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. Apple has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The company had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Apple will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.92%.

Key Stores Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Federal judge denied a bid to block U.S. imports of certain Apple Watch models in a patent dispute, letting Apple continue shipments that protect near-term wearables sales and supply continuity. Apple (AAPL) Cleared to Keep Importing Watch Models amid Patent Dispute
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s reports a surprise jump in China’s imports of foreign-branded mobile phones (iPhone exposure), which supports revenue upside and helps offset macro worries in Apple’s largest cyclical market. Apple Stock Ticks Up After a Surprise From China—and a Legal Win
• Positive Sentiment: High consumer-product satisfaction and continued endorsement from prominent investors/commentators (Jim Cramer highlighted Apple’s customer satisfaction edge), which supports brand resilience and premium pricing. Apple (AAPL)’s the Only One That Maintains High Consumer Product Satisfaction, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Apple publicly released a new AI model and product-level AI improvements (including live translation features), signaling product-driving AI steps rather than a race to ship unpolished tools — a potential catalyst for Services and device differentiation. Apple Just Released a New AI Model. Should You Buy AAPL Stock Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and MarketBeat commentary point to steady upgrades and a material upside case into 2026 as Apple leverages iPhone strength and gradual AI rollouts. Apple: The AI Outlier (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: User reviews of features like AirPods live translation (NYT) show incremental product wins that improve the ecosystem but are unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. How Well Does Apple’s Live Translation Work for Japanese? I Tested It in Tokyo.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting billionaires buying other AI stocks (possible future competitors or new leaders) is drawing headlines but doesn’t directly change Apple’s near-term fundamentals. Billionaires Are Buying an AI Stock That Could Be the Apple of the 2030s
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing narrative that Apple is a latecomer in generative AI creates valuation risk if investors re-rate tech leaders based on AI leadership; that debate may cap multiple expansion until clearer, product-level wins are delivered. Apple Doesn’t Need A Stronger AI Portfolio (Seeking Alpha)

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 47,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.79, for a total transaction of $12,101,228.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 179,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,005,982.82. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 43,013 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.39, for a total value of $11,071,116.07. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,181,866.93. This represents a 23.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,052 shares of company stock worth $58,604,588. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. PMG Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at approximately $780,000. Finivi Inc. grew its position in Apple by 1.0% in the third quarter. Finivi Inc. now owns 22,746 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,792,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd increased its stake in Apple by 80.0% in the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 296,426 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $75,479,000 after buying an additional 131,738 shares during the last quarter. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. increased its stake in Apple by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. now owns 5,996 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Symmetry Inc lifted its position in Apple by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Symmetry Inc now owns 13,147 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,348,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

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.