Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Price Down 3.5% – Time to Sell?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares fell 3.5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $243.42 and last traded at $246.70. 77,274,425 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 56% from the average session volume of 49,515,137 shares. The stock had previously closed at $255.53.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore reiterated an Outperform/Buy view with a $330 price target, reinforcing bullish analyst conviction around the iPhone 17 cycle and helping underpin medium-term upside expectations. Apple Stock (AAPL) Remains a Top Pick for Evercore Ahead of Q1 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Citi projects Apple will ship millions of $2,000 foldable iPhones this year — a potential new high-margin hardware revenue stream that supports upside to unit and ASP assumptions. Apple will ship millions of $2,000 foldable iPhones this year: Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman and other firms view recent pullbacks as buying opportunities, arguing fundamentals (iPhone revenue growth forecasts) remain intact ahead of earnings — support for a rebound if results beat. Apple (AAPL) Stock: Goldman Calls Weakness a Buying Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple posted strong iPhone performance in China over the holiday quarter, which is a fundamental positive but already priced in by some investors; this supports the bulls heading into results. Apple tops China smartphone sales as iPhone 17 defies chip shortage
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is making AI moves (Siri upgrades/partnering with Google) that matter for long-term services/AI positioning but are unlikely to move the stock materially before the upcoming earnings and regulatory dates. As Apple Teams Up with Google on Siri AI Upgrades, Should You Buy AAPL Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market risk-off tied to escalating geopolitical rhetoric (Trump/Greenland tariff talk) has hit large-cap tech, driving a sector-wide pullback that amplifies Apple’s decline despite positive analyst notes. America’s Biggest Tech Stocks Lead Tuesday’s Selloff as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Rattles Markets
• Negative Sentiment: Apple shares fell intraday even after upgrades — illustrating a disconnect where analyst optimism is being overwhelmed by short-term selling pressure and uncertainty around costs and guidance into January earnings. Apple stock tumbles nearly 3% despite analyst upgrade: here’s why
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: an India antitrust hearing on Jan. 27 is a near-term headline risk that could pressure shares if outcomes or enforcement actions escalate. Dear Apple Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for January 27
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary calling Apple likely to underperform peers adds sentiment pressure; negative narratives can magnify selloffs when macro risk is elevated. This Magnificent 7 Stock Will Plunge This Year

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Melius raised their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Melius Research set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.62.

Apple Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $3.63 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.03, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $271.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $249.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.89.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 13.92%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total transaction of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. lifted its position in Apple by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. now owns 3,552 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $729,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 4.6% in the second quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,920 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Apple by 2.4% in the second quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 195,482 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $40,107,000 after purchasing an additional 4,543 shares during the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 17.9% during the second quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $101,301,000 after buying an additional 8,446 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.