Erste Group Bank Issues Positive Forecast for Apple Earnings

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank raised Apple’s FY2026 EPS forecast to $8.84 from $8.75, above the current consensus estimate of $8.76.
• Apple’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.02 versus $1.89 expected and revenue of $109.42 billion, up 16.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $330.44, although some firms have recently downgraded the stock amid cost, growth and competitive pressures.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) - Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Apple in a report issued on Wednesday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the iPhone maker will post earnings per share of $8.84 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $8.75. The consensus estimate for Apple's current full-year earnings is $8.76 per share.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on AAPL. KGI Securities downgraded Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Phillip Securities lowered Apple from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.44.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $313.33 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $4.57 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. Apple has a 1 year low of $219.25 and a 1 year high of $344.57. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $309.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $283.42.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS 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 business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Apple's payout ratio is 12.39%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 14.1% during the first quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 24,386 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $6,189,000 after buying an additional 3,014 shares during the period. Eaton Cambridge Inc. increased its position in shares of Apple by 21.3% during the first quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. now owns 13,968 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,545,000 after acquiring an additional 2,450 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $1,178,000. Summit Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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, Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corp purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth $105,482,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Planned CEO transition appears orderly. Tim Cook will step down in September and be succeeded by longtime Apple executive John Ternus, a veteran with experience dating back to the Steve Jobs era. Cook’s endorsement and Ternus’ familiarity with Apple’s products may reduce concerns about strategic disruption. Tim Cook Says There’s ‘No Better Person’ to Take Over at Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong. Apple’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up roughly 16% year over year. Broad iPhone, Mac and Services demand continues to support the bullish case. Tim Cook's Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple's Best June Quarter Ever
• Positive Sentiment: App Store monetization is holding up. App Store revenue increased slightly despite a 4% decline in iPhone and iPad downloads, as revenue per download rose 4.7%. This suggests continued pricing and engagement resilience in a key Services business. Apple App Store Revenue Ticks Up Despite Falling Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI is seeking dismissal of Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI denies misappropriating confidential information related to Apple’s consumer-hardware efforts. The filing does not resolve the dispute, leaving legal and competitive uncertainty in place. OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and growth pressures are weighing on sentiment. Rising memory prices, supply constraints and policy risks could pressure margins, while slower Services growth has prompted some firms to downgrade Apple to Hold or Moderate Sell. Apple's Capex Strategy Worked But Other Pressures Are Mounting
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in emerging hardware is increasing. Samsung reported a 30% rise in foldable-device preorders, highlighting a market Apple has yet to enter. Investors may view future Apple foldables as an opportunity, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Samsung Foldable Preorders Jump 30%

About Apple

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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