Rosenblatt Securities Reiterates "Neutral" Rating for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Key Points

• Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “Neutral” rating on Apple with a $303 price target, implying 3.91% downside from the prior close. Analysts overall maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average target of $331.26.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02, exceeding estimates of $1.89, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. The stock opened at $315.34 and has traded between $225.95 and $344.57 over the past year.
• Recent company developments include the launch of a $1,999 foldable iPhone and new iPhone 18 Pro models, creating potential growth catalysts but also concerns about pricing, supply-chain complexity and limitations in Apple’s Siri AI capabilities.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reiterated by Rosenblatt Securities in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $303.00 price target on the iPhone maker's stock. Rosenblatt Securities' price target points to a potential downside of 3.91% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on AAPL. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $370.00 price target (down from $380.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $331.26.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $315.34 on Thursday. Apple has a 52 week low of $225.95 and a 52 week high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.60 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $317.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $291.73.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Apple will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 5,872 shares of company stock valued at $1,823,201. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 24,386 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $6,189,000 after acquiring an additional 3,014 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. grew its position in Apple by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. now owns 13,968 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,545,000 after acquiring an additional 2,450 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $1,178,000. Summit Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 108.3% in the 1st quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 34,989 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,880,000 after purchasing an additional 18,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis R M Inc. raised its position in Apple by 2.1% in the first quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 1,151,352 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $292,202,000 after purchasing an additional 23,162 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple unveiled the $1,999 iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, with a 7.6-inch internal display, upgraded cameras and a redesigned iOS experience. The device gives Apple access to a new premium category and could lift average selling prices and long-term growth if demand is strong. IDC reportedly expects approximately 10 million units in the first year. Reuters foldable iPhone article
• Positive Sentiment: Citi reiterated its Buy rating and maintained a $365 price target, citing the foldable iPhone, premium pricing and more advanced Siri AI as potential catalysts. The target implies meaningful upside from the current trading level. Citi Apple rating article
• Positive Sentiment: Apple also introduced the iPhone 18 Pro lineup with a 2nm A20 Pro chip, camera improvements and Siri AI features. Strong iPhone 17 first-year revenue and continuing demand for premium models provide supportive evidence for the upgrade cycle. iPhone 17 revenue article
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s C2 modem reduces reliance on Qualcomm in some iPhone 18 Pro models, potentially improving supply-chain control and component economics, although the Pro Max continues to use Qualcomm technology. Apple C2 modem article
• Negative Sentiment: The $1,999 Duo and a $100 increase for iPhone 18 Pro models raise concerns that Apple may be testing consumers’ willingness to pay. The foldable’s high price, supply-chain complexity and uncertain category demand make sales execution critical. New York Times foldable pricing article
• Negative Sentiment: Early reports indicate Siri AI may not initially access messages in Gmail or WhatsApp, potentially tempering enthusiasm about Apple’s AI strategy. Rising memory costs and higher oil prices and Treasury yields add further margin and valuation pressure. Siri AI limitations article

Apple Company Profile

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.

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