AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus: 13 analysts rate AppLovin a buy, three a strong buy and eight a hold, with an average 12-month price target of approximately $538. Recent reports included several target-price cuts, though major firms such as Evercore and Raymond James remain bullish.
• AppLovin reported 52.8% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.92 billion and quarterly EPS of $3.76, in line with estimates. Its profitability remains strong, with a 64.58% net margin, although shares have declined sharply from their 52-week high to about $314.
• Insiders sold shares in recent transactions, including director sales totaling roughly $84.2 million, while insiders retain 12.81% ownership and institutional investors hold 41.85%. Analysts remain focused on whether growth can reaccelerate as the company’s AI-powered advertising platform expands.

AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $538.0870.

APP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $510.00 target price on shares of AppLovin in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $400.00 price target (down from $430.00) on shares of AppLovin in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. BTIG Research lowered their price objective on AppLovin from $408.00 to $396.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on AppLovin from $710.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on AppLovin in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $640.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Activity at AppLovin

In other AppLovin news, Director G Jr sold 3,076 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $521.29, for a total transaction of $1,603,488.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 120,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,786,252.76. This trade represents a 2.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Eduardo Vivas sold 163,910 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $504.06, for a total transaction of $82,620,474.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,785,087 shares in the company, valued at $3,420,090,953.22. This trade represents a 2.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 12.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AppLovin

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AppLovin during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AppLovin in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Pioneer Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of AppLovin in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Pacific Financial bought a new stake in shares of AppLovin during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of AppLovin by 40.0% during the 1st quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 84 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.85% of the company's stock.

AppLovin Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ APP opened at $314.49 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $377.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $438.09. The stock has a market cap of $105.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 2.49. AppLovin has a 52-week low of $297.50 and a 52-week high of $745.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 4.30 and a current ratio of 4.30.

AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $3.76 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $3.76. AppLovin had a net margin of 64.58% and a return on equity of 193.10%. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. AppLovin's revenue was up 52.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AppLovin will post 15.53 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting AppLovin

Here are the key news stories impacting AppLovin this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AppLovin’s shares rallied alongside parts of the ad-tech sector, with investors focusing on second-quarter revenue growth of roughly 53% year over year and expectations for an AI-advertising rebound. AppLovin Corp stock rises 4 percent as Q2 2026 growth and AI ad-tech rebound draw buyers
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s operating fundamentals remain highly profitable: trailing-12-month operating margin widened to 77.4% from 69.6% a year earlier. Its proprietary AI tools and scaled software platform also support industry-leading net margins, a potential advantage over other technology and advertising companies. Should You Buy AppLovin Stock For Its Widening Margin? AppLovin vs. Reddit: Which Technology Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data showed zero shares and zero days to cover, but the figures appear inconsistent and provide little actionable insight for investors. Short interest report
• Negative Sentiment: Despite rapid revenue growth, AppLovin has fallen sharply since December because growth has decelerated for several quarters and improvements from its models have arrived unevenly, making future expansion difficult for the market to price. Why Is AppLovin Stock Trading Near Its Low While Revenue Keeps Growing?
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution remains a headwind, with reports highlighting a downgrade and a pessimistic price forecast. AppLovin stock price down after analyst downgrade BTIG Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for AppLovin

About AppLovin

AppLovin Corporation NASDAQ: APP is a technology company that provides software and services designed to help mobile application developers grow their businesses. Its platform supports user acquisition, advertising, monetization, measurement and other functions that enable developers to attract users and generate revenue from their applications.

AppLovin's offerings include AXON, an artificial-intelligence-powered software engine used to optimize advertising and user-acquisition campaigns; MAX, a platform for managing in-app advertising and mediation; and AppDiscovery, which helps developers promote their applications.

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