Erste Group Bank Issues Positive Forecast for Apple Earnings

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for Apple in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, September 8th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the iPhone maker will earn $9.55 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $9.54. The consensus estimate for Apple’s current full-year earnings is $8.74 per share.

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

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on AAPL. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on shares of Apple from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. CICC Research lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $329.00 to $280.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $338.80.

Apple Stock Up 0.2%

AAPL opened at $333.08 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $318.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $293.06. Apple has a 1-year low of $235.03 and a 1-year high of $344.57. The stock has a market cap of $4.86 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 35,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 7,194 shares of company stock worth $2,245,142 over the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Apple by 0.3% in the second quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,351,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,054,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. JMG Financial Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC now owns 7,847 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,271,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish on the iPhone cycle. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and $370 price target, citing encouraging iPhone 18 trends and potential artificial-intelligence upside. JPMorgan also maintained a Buy rating, pointing to the longer-term opportunity from the iPhone 18 cycle and foldable Duo. Apple Buy Rating Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: The iPhone Duo is fueling growth expectations. Analysts and industry observers believe Apple’s first foldable iPhone could expand the premium smartphone market, strengthen the product cycle and create a new source of revenue and earnings growth. Can New iPhone Duo Power Apple’s Stock Higher?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s antitrust exposure has eased. Elon Musk’s X Corp. and SpaceXAI moved to resolve or dismiss their antitrust claims against Apple related to its ChatGPT integration, reducing one legal overhang, although related claims against OpenAI continue. Musk’s X Corp and SpaceXAI Resolve Antitrust Lawsuit
• Neutral Sentiment: iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders are sending mixed signals. Delivery estimates are generally shorter than during last year’s iPhone 17 launch, which could indicate softer demand, but may also reflect supply improvements or customers waiting for the iPhone Duo. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Pre-orders Point to Mixed Demand Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple released iOS 27 with a redesigned Siri. The update expands Apple’s AI capabilities, but the initial waitlist and support for existing devices could limit near-term iPhone replacement demand. Apple Releases Redesigned Siri AI
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cost risks remain. With Apple trading near its 52-week high at a premium earnings multiple, investors may demand strong Duo adoption. Reports of sharply higher memory prices could pressure hardware margins or force price increases, while OpenAI’s acquisition of an AI-camera startup founded by former Apple employees highlights intensifying competition in AI-enabled devices. Apple CEO Warns of Memory Price Crisis

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company’s ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.