FY2026 EPS Estimates for Apple Raised by Erste Group Bank

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) - Erste Group Bank lifted their FY2026 EPS estimates for Apple in a research report issued on Monday, April 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the iPhone maker will earn $8.50 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $8.48. The consensus estimate for Apple's current full-year earnings is $8.52 per share.

AAPL has been the topic of several other reports. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $287.00 price objective (up from $280.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank set a $330.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $301.83.

Apple Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $270.71 on Wednesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $260.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $264.94. The company has a market cap of $3.97 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.22, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Apple has a 12-month low of $193.25 and a 12-month high of $288.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.17. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The firm had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at $833,980,668.14. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 96,485 shares of company stock worth $24,594,845. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its holdings in Apple by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $8,845,000 after buying an additional 6,982 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $13,544,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Apple by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $134,554,000 after purchasing an additional 69,207 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Apple by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $16,742,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE raised its position in Apple by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $12,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. 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: New App Store subscription option could boost Services revenue and retention — Apple will let developers offer lower-priced monthly plans tied to a 12‑month commitment, a move that can raise long‑term subscriber dollar retention and make Services more predictable ahead of earnings. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Product roadmap shows AI feature progress — reports that iOS 27 will add AI-powered photo‑editing tools signal Apple is integrating “Apple Intelligence” across devices, supporting the company’s case for on‑device AI monetization and premium hardware differentiation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Street upgrades and higher targets ahead of earnings — some sell‑side teams (including UBS coverage picked up in the newsflow) have upped price targets and expectations for Q2, which supports short‑term sentiment into the print. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: iPhone momentum and supply‑chain execution — reports show Apple took the top global smartphone spot in the March quarter, which backs revenue upside and validates supply‑chain advantages (helpful for gross margins). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Big‑tech earnings week raises the bar — Apple reports after several Mag‑7 peers and the market is looking for proof of AI monetization and capex/revenue cadence; strong results could re‑accelerate multiple expansion, while any miss could amplify sector moves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership transition is being priced in — the move to John Ternus as CEO focuses investors on product execution and a more engineering‑driven strategy; it's a multi‑quarter story rather than an immediate earnings driver. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Small analyst estimate tweaks — Erste Group nudged FY2026 EPS a touch higher (to $8.50), but consensus sits near $8.52; this indicates modest model adjustments rather than a material re‑rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive threat from Qualcomm/OpenAI tie‑ups — reports that OpenAI is working with Qualcomm/MediaTek on AI‑native phone chips have prompted rotation into chipmakers and raised concerns about Apple’s on‑device AI timeline and ecosystem advantage. That narrative is pressuring AAPL sentiment today. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale flagged — Apple’s CFO disclosed a sale of shares, which some traders interpret as a near‑term negative signal even when routine; it can add to intraday pressure before earnings. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing narrative that Apple is behind on AI execution — media and analyst pieces questioning Apple’s AI pace are creating cautious positioning ahead of the results; that narrative can amplify downside if management provides limited new AI detail. Read More.

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.

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