Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Given "Outperform" Rating at Wedbush

Key Points

• Wedbush reaffirmed an "Outperform" rating on Apple with a $350 price target — implying roughly a 34.9% upside — citing catalysts including the product cycle, services, AI-adjacent hardware, and buybacks/dividends.
• Apple beat expectations last quarter with EPS of $1.85 (vs. $1.74 estimate) and revenue of $102.47B (vs. $101.65B), has a $3.81T market cap, and carries an average analyst consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $284.07 average price target.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at Wedbush in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $350.00 target price on the iPhone maker's stock. Wedbush's price objective suggests a potential upside of 34.94% from the company's current price.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Melius Research set a $345.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Melius boosted their target price on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Argus set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $284.07.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $259.37 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $272.84 and a 200-day moving average of $247.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.09. 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 has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $101.65 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Apple will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total value of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,030.54. This represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,199 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.39, for a total value of $1,038,790.61. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,168,373.35. This represents a 32.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 573,627.2% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 205,692,660 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $39,065,374,000 after purchasing an additional 205,656,808 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the first quarter valued at approximately $17,472,482,000. PKS Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 98,917.0% in the second quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC now owns 57,956,620 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $12,106,000 after buying an additional 57,898,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 20,464.8% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Counterpoint says Apple led the global smartphone market with a 20% share in 2025, showing resilient device demand and helping the hardware narrative. Apple leads global smartphone market
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush's Dan Ives is very bullish for 2026, outlining four catalysts (product cycle, services, AI-adjacent hardware, and buybacks/dividends) that could push AAPL toward a $350 target — a supportive institutional view for upside. Dan Ives bullish roadmap
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy on AAPL with a $325 target, a near-term catalyst that can lift sentiment among retail and institutional holders. BofA reiterates Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish pieces (Seeking Alpha, Fool, MarketWatch) argue Apple has durable growth into 2030 via custom silicon, new products (foldables, AR glasses) and services expansion — a constructive long-term thesis for investors. Apple growth through 2030
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple Card transition: JPMorgan is set to replace Goldman Sachs as Apple Card partner; Goldman expects a one-time EPS boost. For Apple the move mainly impacts partner dynamics and customer communications rather than core revenue, but it adds short-term operational noise. Apple Card transition to JPMorgan
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor pieces note Tim Cook succession chatter and leadership succession discussions; these are headline risks but not immediate financial drivers. CEO succession & weekly Apple roundup
• Negative Sentiment: India is reportedly considering rules requiring smartphone vendors to disclose source code — a regulatory step that could raise compliance costs, slow product rollouts, and create geopolitical/legal risk for Apple in a large market. India source code disclosure plan
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary highlights that AAPL underperformed the market in 2025, raising questions about valuation multiple expansion absent clear leadership in the AI cycle; this keeps a portion of the Street cautious. Is Apple Stock a Buy for 2026?
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts (e.g., Raymond James tone) urge caution — strong fundamentals but potential near-term dampeners (AI positioning, product timing) that could limit upside if catalysts slip. Raymond James cautious view

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.

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