Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Melius Research

Melius Research began coverage on shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in a research report report published on Tuesday,Zacks reports. The firm issued a strong-buy rating on the iPhone maker’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on AAPL. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Apple from $400.00 to $390.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird set a $340.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. China Renaissance downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $329.00 to $280.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.51.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $331.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $334.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $297.13. Apple has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $351.73. The company has a market capitalization of $4.84 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.11. Apple had a return on equity of 128.88% and a net margin of 27.60%. The firm had revenue of $114.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Apple will post 9.56 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 12th. Apple’s payout ratio is 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.05, for a total value of $480,309.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,051,831.95. This trade represents a 7.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $343.36, for a total transaction of $823,720.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 32,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,123,490.56. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 289,252 shares of company stock valued at $96,301,063 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Prospect Hill Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth about $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth approximately $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $16,064,000. Finally, Gouws Capital LLC increased its position in Apple by 136.9% during the third quarter. Gouws Capital LLC now owns 37,504 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,490,000 after purchasing an additional 21,676 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple beat fiscal Q4 estimates, reporting revenue of $114.5 billion, up 12% year over year, and EPS of $2.10. Strong iPhone sales helped drive the result, and the active installed base reached a record 2.5 billion devices. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company forecast Q1 fiscal 2027 revenue above analyst consensus, while its holiday sales outlook points to continued demand. Apple has also begun a delayed trial rollout of its AI tools in China, potentially closing a gap with local competitors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed: Bank of America sees a longer-term buying opportunity, while other commentary highlights Apple’s rich valuation and the risk that slowing growth leaves little room for execution setbacks. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The key concern is Apple’s forecast for a 45%–46% gross margin in the holiday quarter, below the September quarter’s reported 47.9%. CEO John Ternus said memory prices are rising sharply; higher component costs and Siri AI expenses could erode profits even if sales remain strong. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors also have concerns about slower Services growth and weaker-than-expected results in China. Because Apple trades at a premium valuation, margin pressure and signs of decelerating growth may weigh more heavily on sentiment. Read More.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware ecosystem.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple Pay and other subscription, payment and digital-content offerings.