Apple's (AAPL) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Wedbush

Key Points

• Wedbush reiterated an Outperform rating on Apple with a $350 price target, implying roughly a 23.4% upside from the prior close.
• Apple beat quarterly estimates ( $2.01 EPS; $111.18B revenue ), gave strong June‑quarter guidance, and announced about $100B in additional buybacks plus a dividend hike, sending the stock up roughly 4.5% to $283.66.
• Analyst coverage is broadly positive—1 Strong Buy, 22 Buy, 12 Hold, 1 Sell—with an average price target of $304.03 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Wedbush in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $350.00 target price on the iPhone maker's stock. Wedbush's target price suggests a potential upside of 23.39% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Apple from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned 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, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $304.03.

Apple Stock Up 4.5%

Apple stock traded up $12.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $283.66. The company had a trading volume of 46,651,975 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,735,332. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.16 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm's fifty day moving average is $260.73 and its 200-day moving average is $265.02. Apple has a fifty-two week low of $193.25 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Apple will post 8.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $833,980,668.14. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This trade represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 96,485 shares of company stock worth $24,594,845. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apple

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 107,322 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $27,237,000 after buying an additional 5,018 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 3,503,348 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $889,115,000 after buying an additional 149,720 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 33,387 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,473,000 after buying an additional 3,456 shares in the last quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 34,148 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,666,000 after buying an additional 5,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avid Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 15.9% in the 1st quarter. Avid Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,215 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,831,000 after buying an additional 992 shares in 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: Double beat on top and bottom lines: Apple reported $2.01 EPS and $111.18B revenue, topping estimates and showing broad product and services strength. Apple Stock Rises After Earnings Beat, Strong Guidance, Buyback, Dividend Hike
• Positive Sentiment: Exceptional forward guidance: Apple gave June‑quarter revenue guidance well above consensus (mid‑teens growth), which investors view as proof of sustained demand momentum. Apple (AAPL) Stock Surges 3% on Strong Earnings and Exceptional Forward Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Big shareholder returns: management added roughly $100B to buybacks and raised the quarterly dividend, a direct boost to EPS per share and shareholder yield. Apple (AAPL) Stock: Q2 Earnings Beat Expectations with 17% Revenue Jump and $100B Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Smooth CEO handoff reduces uncertainty: Apple introduced incoming CEO John Ternus on the call and emphasized continuity, which calmed some investor concerns about leadership risk. Apple Delivers: New CEO, Looking Ahead To WWDC
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/reporting change possible: the SEC’s proposal to allow semiannual reporting advanced after White House review — could lower compliance costs but reduce disclosure cadence for investors. SEC Plan to Shift to Semiannual Reporting Advances After White House Review
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst action: several firms raised price targets and others kept “hold/neutral” calls — the upgrades support momentum but highlight differing views on valuation and the sustainability of growth. Apple (AAPL) Stock Pops on Q2 Beat – Top Analysts Raise Price Targets
• Negative Sentiment: Memory‑chip cost and supply headwinds: management warned rising memory prices and tight supplies could pressure margins and force pricing or contract changes — a near‑term margin risk. Apple CEO Tim Cook warns of extended memory crunch. 'We'll look at a range of options'
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/watchers express caution: despite the beat, some analysts call the stock expensive or kept conservative ratings/targets below the current price — a reminder upside may be limited near-term. Apple: Great Earnings, Expensive Stock, Same Hold Rating

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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