Erste Group Bank Reduces Earnings Estimates for Apple

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank cut their FY2027 EPS estimates for Apple in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the iPhone maker will post earnings per share of $9.32 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $9.34. The consensus estimate for Apple’s current full-year earnings is $7.28 per share.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.58.

Apple Trading Up 0.1%

Apple stock opened at $252.89 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $260.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $262.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Apple has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $288.62. The stock has a market cap of $3.71 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. First National Bank of Hutchinson lifted its position in shares of Apple by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,845,000 after acquiring an additional 6,982 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 14.8% during the fourth 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 during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 4.2% during the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE raised its stake in shares of Apple by 2.4% in the fourth 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. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 13.15%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple will open Siri to outside AI assistants (e.g., Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude), ending its exclusive ChatGPT tie — a strategic pivot that leverages the iPhone as an AI distribution platform without the capital intensity of building the largest models in-house. This could widen user choice, boost engagement with iOS services, and help Apple monetize AI through ecosystem stickiness. Reuters: Apple plans to open Siri to rival AI services
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is adding Bosch, Cirrus Logic, TDK and Qnity to its American Manufacturing Program and committing ~$400M through 2030 to expand U.S. parts production — a move that reduces geopolitical/supply risk, supports higher-margin domestic sourcing, and benefits listed suppliers (notably Cirrus Logic). That should be received positively by investors focused on supply resiliency and margin protection. Reuters: Apple adds Bosch, Cirrus Logic, others to US manufacturing program
• Positive Sentiment: MacBook Neo (Apple’s new lower-priced laptop) and other product moves aim to expand Apple’s addressable market (students/value buyers), potentially increasing device volume and accelerating ecosystem adoption that supports higher-margin services revenue over time. Yahoo Finance: Who is the target consumer for Apple’s MacBook Neo?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is rolling out age-verification features in the U.K. to comply with regulator pressure — a compliance cost and UX change that could modestly affect services usage patterns but mostly addresses regulatory risk. FT: Apple rolls out UK age checks for iPhone users
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and survey notes point to stronger iPhone loyalty and growing enterprise deployments — supportive for services growth but already reflected to some extent in valuation assumptions. This is incremental positive for installed base dynamics but not a near-term catalyst by itself. ProactiveInvestors: iPhone loyalty strengthens
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Apple has discontinued the Mac Pro and abandoned future updates may weigh on high-end Mac revenue and signal product-line consolidation risks; investors should watch for confirmation and management commentary to assess the revenue and margin impact. MSN: Apple reportedly discontinues Mac Pro

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.