Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts broadly favor Apple: Forty-two brokerages give the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with 26 buys, 13 holds, two sells and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is approximately $340.14.
• Growth catalysts support the bullish case: Strong iPhone 18 Pro preorder demand, potential premium growth from a $1,999 foldable iPhone and progress in AI are attracting investor interest. Apple also reported quarterly revenue growth of 16.4% and earnings above analyst expectations.
• Valuation and execution risks remain: Apple trades near its 52-week high at a relatively elevated valuation, while foldable-device adoption, intensifying AI competition and a $250 million settlement over alleged Siri and Apple Intelligence advertising claims create potential headwinds.

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the forty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-six have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $340.1444.

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $366.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Moffett Nathanson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $304.00 price objective (up from $270.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 Pro demand: JPMorgan said average delivery times increased to 23 days in the second preorder week from seven days in the first, suggesting demand may be stronger than expected. Analyst Gene Munster said current iPhone 18 estimates could be too conservative, while Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380. JPMorgan sees stronger iPhone 18 Pro demand
• Positive Sentiment: Foldable iPhone creates a potential premium-growth opportunity: Apple’s new iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999 and scheduled for an October 23 release, represents the company’s largest iPhone design change in years. Investors view the product as a possible catalyst for higher average selling prices and a new upgrade cycle under CEO John Ternus. Apple’s new CEO bets big on a foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: AI and capital returns support the bullish case: Coverage highlighted the successful rollout of upgraded Siri AI, Apple’s reported interest in building AI inference servers, and its shrinking share count from buybacks. Apple’s large cash position, history of earnings beats and long-term shareholder returns are also reinforcing investor confidence. Apple’s shrinking share count
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader strategic opportunities: Apple and Google are hiring digital-asset specialists, potentially signaling future initiatives involving payments, stablecoins or tokenization. The company could also benefit if U.S.-China trade discussions reduce tariff pressure on technology companies. Google and Apple digital-asset hiring
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are rising: Commentators described AAPL as relatively expensive near its highs, while the $1,999 Duo could limit adoption and expose Apple to foldable-screen execution risks. Google’s AI-powered laptops and Meta’s Muse app also highlight intensifying competition in AI and consumer technology.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Apple has begun a 90-day claims period tied to a $250 million settlement over allegations that it falsely advertised Apple Intelligence and Siri capabilities. The financial cost is manageable for Apple, but the dispute could weigh on trust in its AI strategy. $250 million Apple AI settlement claims period

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,632 shares of company stock worth $2,719,955. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC raised its stake in Apple by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 75,000,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $20,389,750,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725,121 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Up 0.8%

Apple stock opened at $338.98 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $320.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $295.43. Apple has a 1-year low of $243.42 and a 1-year high of $344.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

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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