Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Receives Buy Rating from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated their buy rating on shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in a report issued on Sunday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Moffett Nathanson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $304.00 price objective (up from $270.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Seaport Research Partners downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $338.80.

Apple Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of AAPL stock traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $333.08. 38,778,183 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 41,121,848. Apple has a 12 month low of $235.03 and a 12 month high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.86 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $318.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $293.06.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Apple will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,310 shares of company stock worth $2,279,378. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apple

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Avenir Tech Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Apple by 822.7% in the second quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 260,792 shares during the period. Finally, Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth approximately $88,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish on the iPhone cycle. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and $370 price target, citing encouraging iPhone 18 trends and potential artificial-intelligence upside. JPMorgan also maintained a Buy rating, pointing to the longer-term opportunity from the iPhone 18 cycle and foldable Duo. Apple Buy Rating Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: The iPhone Duo is fueling growth expectations. Analysts and industry observers believe Apple’s first foldable iPhone could expand the premium smartphone market, strengthen the product cycle and create a new source of revenue and earnings growth. Can New iPhone Duo Power Apple’s Stock Higher?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s antitrust exposure has eased. Elon Musk’s X Corp. and SpaceXAI moved to resolve or dismiss their antitrust claims against Apple related to its ChatGPT integration, reducing one legal overhang, although related claims against OpenAI continue. Musk’s X Corp and SpaceXAI Resolve Antitrust Lawsuit
• Neutral Sentiment: iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders are sending mixed signals. Delivery estimates are generally shorter than during last year’s iPhone 17 launch, which could indicate softer demand, but may also reflect supply improvements or customers waiting for the iPhone Duo. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Pre-orders Point to Mixed Demand Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple released iOS 27 with a redesigned Siri. The update expands Apple’s AI capabilities, but the initial waitlist and support for existing devices could limit near-term iPhone replacement demand. Apple Releases Redesigned Siri AI
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cost risks remain. With Apple trading near its 52-week high at a premium earnings multiple, investors may demand strong Duo adoption. Reports of sharply higher memory prices could pressure hardware margins or force price increases, while OpenAI’s acquisition of an AI-camera startup founded by former Apple employees highlights intensifying competition in AI-enabled devices. Apple CEO Warns of Memory Price Crisis

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company’s ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.