Evercore ISI Reiterates “Outperform” Rating for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating restated by equities research analysts at Evercore ISI in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $330.00 target price on the iPhone maker’s stock. Evercore ISI’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 29.14% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on AAPL. Wall Street Zen downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Apple to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 target price (up previously from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $283.36 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.07.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $255.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.76 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.09. Apple has a one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $288.62. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $271.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $249.32.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.65 billion. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total transaction of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. lifted its position in shares of Apple by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. now owns 3,552 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $729,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Monarch Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Apple by 4.6% in the second quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,740,000 after buying an additional 2,920 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Apple by 2.4% during the second quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 195,482 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $40,107,000 after buying an additional 4,543 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its position in Apple by 17.9% during the 2nd quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $101,301,000 after acquiring an additional 8,446 shares during the period. 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: Strong iPhone performance in China: reports say Apple reclaimed the top spot in China smartphone sales during the holiday quarter, which supports near-term revenue and margin visibility for the iPhone franchise. Apple tops China smartphone sales
• Positive Sentiment: EPS momentum: coverage highlights Apple achieved ~13% adjusted EPS growth in the latest period — a sign of improving profitability that underpins earnings estimates and valuation support. Apple Achieved an Adjusted EPS Growth of +13%
• Positive Sentiment: Siri upgrade via Google’s Gemini: Apple is working with Google to boost Siri with Gemini AI — this could accelerate product competitiveness on AI features without forcing Apple to build everything in-house. It’s a strategic product/partnership win even if it underscores some reliance on Google. As Apple Teams Up with Google on Siri AI Upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Apple Card transition to JPMorgan: JPMorgan taking over Apple Card from Goldman could improve customer experience and reduce partnership friction — potentially stabilizing a growing services/finance revenue stream. JPMorgan Chase Is About to Take Over the Apple Card Business
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and retail debate on upside: several pieces compare Apple vs Amazon and discuss bull cases (including a $350 target scenario); useful for thematic conviction but not immediate catalysts. Best Stock to Buy Right Now: Apple vs. Amazon
• Neutral Sentiment: Third‑party app innovation: an Apple Watch-based health app launch highlights ecosystem strength and developer activity, but it’s a small, incremental revenue/data win. 6Letters Launches “MOJO KING”
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk in India: Apple faces a key antitrust hearing Jan. 27 and fresh reporting points to increased uncertainty from Indian regulators — a near-term legal/regulatory risk that could affect services distribution or App Store economics. Mark Your Calendars for January 27 Added Uncertainty from Regulatory Scrutiny in India
• Negative Sentiment: Rotation away from AI leaders and market sentiment: coverage notes the AI-led Magnificent Seven trade is splitting, and some commentators (including Jim Cramer) say buyers haven’t fully re-engaged with Apple — a sentiment headwind that can pressure the stock despite fundamentals. The Magnificent Seven Drove Markets Jim Cramer on Apple

Apple Company Profile

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.