KeyCorp Research Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for Apple

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Equities researchers at KeyCorp boosted their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Apple in a report issued on Monday, July 13th. KeyCorp analyst B. Nispel now expects that the iPhone maker will earn $1.93 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.89. KeyCorp has a “Underweight” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Apple’s current full-year earnings is $8.74 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Apple’s Q4 2026 earnings at $2.12 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.91 EPS.

AAPL has been the topic of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $365.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $314.26.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $327.50 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business has a fifty day moving average of $301.89 and a 200 day moving average of $276.27. Apple has a 1 year low of $201.50 and a 1 year high of $328.73.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share.

Institutional Trading of Apple

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Evansbrook LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. grew its position in Apple by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. increased its stake in Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,520,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. WESPAC Advisors LLC increased its stake in Apple by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 12,326 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,351,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,226,770. The trade was a 3.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,924 shares of company stock valued at $825,546. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China approved Apple Intelligence for iPhones, a key regulatory green light that clears the way for Apple’s AI rollout in one of its most important markets and could help support upgrades and Services growth. Reuters: Apple Intelligence AI service registered with China’s cyberspace regulator
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is exploring acquisitions of AI chip startups to strengthen its server and AI hardware capabilities reinforced the idea that the company is actively investing to remain competitive in AI without a huge data-center spending spree. Reuters: Apple chasing AI chip company deals, The Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: News that Apple may spend about $30 billion through its Broadcom partnership adds confidence in supply-chain security and custom silicon development, which investors see as supportive for future product cycles and margins. Yahoo Finance/Reuters: Apple Plans to Spend $30 Billion in a Deal With Broadcom (AVGO)
• Positive Sentiment: Apple also won dismissal of a high-stakes iCloud-related lawsuit, removing an overhang and improving sentiment around legal risk. Yahoo Finance: Apple Wins Dismissal of iCloud Lawsuit
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media and analyst pieces noted Apple’s stock hitting record highs and trading near a new 52-week high, reflecting strong momentum after a sharp run-up rather than a fresh fundamental surprise. Investopedia: Apple Could Buy an AI Chip Company. Its Hot Stock Just Set a Fresh Record High
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc downgraded Apple to Underweight, warning that slowing hardware demand, softer Services growth, and valuation concerns could limit further upside. Yahoo Finance: KeyBanc Downgrades Apple on Growth Concerns

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.