Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Price Up 2.2% – What’s Next?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s share price traded up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $274.89 and last traded at $272.14. 46,641,387 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average session volume of 52,490,660 shares. The stock had previously closed at $266.18.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple said it will shift some Mac Mini production to a Foxconn facility in Houston and expand U.S. AI-server/manufacturing capacity — a tangible step in its $600B domestic manufacturing push that reduces geopolitical supply risk, supports higher-margin onshore assembly, and creates jobs that can bolster investor sentiment. Apple to move some Mac Mini production to U.S. this year as part of effort to boost domestic manufacturing
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s Services business continues to record strength (streaming, games, podcasts), supporting recurring revenue and margin expansion that helps justify premium multiples independent of device cycles. Apple’s Services Growth Ride on Strong Content & Games: What’s Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/flow drivers: analysts and trading desks flagged a bullish trading signal and power-inflow patterns that have supported near-term buying interest. These signals often attract momentum traders ahead of earnings. Apple Shares Rose ~2% Yesterday After Key Trading Signal
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalyst: Apple’s March 4 “special experience” is expected to include several product reveals (iPhone 17E, new MacBooks), which could provide fresh demand drivers if launches impress. Apple Could Launch at Least Five New Products, Including iPhone 17E, Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple shareholders voted down a proposal requiring extra reporting on China entanglements — removes an added layer of investor scrutiny but doesn’t change supply-chain reality; the company continues to pursue reshoring selectively. Apple shareholders reject shareholder proposal asking report on China entanglements
• Negative Sentiment: AI/assistant execution risk: coverage highlights Apple’s slower rollout of compelling AI features for Siri versus rivals, a factor weighing on sentiment as investors rotate toward AI leaders; persistent delays could pressure multiples if revenue/cost benefits don’t materialize. This “Siri-ous” Problem Could Be the Biggest Threat to Apple Stock

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $239.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $276.47 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $292.13.

Apple Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $264.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $258.44. The company has a market capitalization of $4.00 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.09. 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 (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $143.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the first quarter valued at $17,472,482,000. PKS Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 98,917.0% in the second quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC now owns 57,956,620 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $12,106,000 after buying an additional 57,898,088 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 890.7% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $11,413,990,000 after buying an additional 37,746,784 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after acquiring an additional 26,937,401 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.