Analysts Set Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Target Price at $331.60

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $330.4444.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apple

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Planned CEO transition appears orderly. Tim Cook will step down in September and be succeeded by longtime Apple executive John Ternus, a veteran with experience dating back to the Steve Jobs era. Cook’s endorsement and Ternus’ familiarity with Apple’s products may reduce concerns about strategic disruption. Tim Cook Says There’s ‘No Better Person’ to Take Over at Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong. Apple’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up roughly 16% year over year. Broad iPhone, Mac and Services demand continues to support the bullish case. Tim Cook’s Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple’s Best June Quarter Ever
• Positive Sentiment: App Store monetization is holding up. App Store revenue increased slightly despite a 4% decline in iPhone and iPad downloads, as revenue per download rose 4.7%. This suggests continued pricing and engagement resilience in a key Services business. Apple App Store Revenue Ticks Up Despite Falling Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI is seeking dismissal of Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI denies misappropriating confidential information related to Apple’s consumer-hardware efforts. The filing does not resolve the dispute, leaving legal and competitive uncertainty in place. OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of Apple’s Trade Secrets Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and growth pressures are weighing on sentiment. Rising memory prices, supply constraints and policy risks could pressure margins, while slower Services growth has prompted some firms to downgrade Apple to Hold or Moderate Sell. Apple’s Capex Strategy Worked But Other Pressures Are Mounting
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in emerging hardware is increasing. Samsung reported a 30% rise in foldable-device preorders, highlighting a market Apple has yet to enter. Investors may view future Apple foldables as an opportunity, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Samsung Foldable Preorders Jump 30%

Apple Price Performance

AAPL opened at $313.33 on Monday. 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 company has a market cap of $4.57 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $309.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $283.23. Apple has a 12-month low of $219.25 and a 12-month high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Apple will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Apple Company Profile

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.