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Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for Apple Earnings

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Key Points

  • Zacks Research has revised its Q2 2026 earnings per share estimate for Apple from $1.70 to $1.71, with a consensus full-year estimate of $7.28 per share.
  • Apple reported earnings of $1.57 per share for the last quarter, exceeding a consensus estimate of $1.43 and achieving $94.04 billion in revenue, which surpassed expectations of $88.64 billion.
  • Apple has initiated a stock repurchase plan allowing for the buyback of up to $100 billion in outstanding shares, indicating confidence in the stock's valuation.
  • MarketBeat previews top five stocks to own in September.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Apple in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 30th. Zacks Research analyst A. Ganguly now expects that the iPhone maker will earn $1.71 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.70. The consensus estimate for Apple's current full-year earnings is $7.28 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Apple's FY2026 earnings at $7.60 EPS.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.14. Apple had a return on equity of 172.48% and a net margin of 24.30%. The firm had revenue of $94.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $88.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis.

AAPL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on shares of Apple from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. China Renaissance began coverage on Apple in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $241.00 price target on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "neutral" rating and set a $217.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Apple from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.25.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on AAPL

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock traded down $5.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $202.38. 97,423,066 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 44,912,472. The company has a market capitalization of $3.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $205.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $213.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Apple has a 52-week low of $169.21 and a 52-week high of $260.10.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Oarsman Capital Inc. boosted its position in Apple by 5.2% during the second quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 42,016 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,620,000 after purchasing an additional 2,094 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its position in Apple by 6.9% during the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 32,258 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $6,618,000 after purchasing an additional 2,091 shares in the last quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Apple by 1.8% during the second quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC now owns 19,435 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,988,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Apple by 3.2% during the second quarter. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. now owns 3,193 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Apple by 3.0% during the second quarter. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 28,269 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $5,800,000 after purchasing an additional 831 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Chris Kondo sold 4,486 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total value of $933,940.34. Following the sale, the insider owned 15,533 shares in the company, valued at $3,233,815.27. This represents a 22.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.78%.

Apple declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to buyback $100.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the iPhone maker to reacquire up to 3.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Apple Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Apple Inc designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. The company offers iPhone, a line of smartphones; Mac, a line of personal computers; iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets; and wearables, home, and accessories comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, and HomePod.

See Also

Earnings History and Estimates for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

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