Erste Group Bank Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for Apple

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank increased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Apple in a research note issued on Wednesday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the iPhone maker will earn $8.84 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $8.75. The consensus estimate for Apple’s current full-year earnings is $8.76 per share.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $285.56 to $263.66 in a report on Monday. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $245.00 target price (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. KeyCorp reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $375.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $328.60.

Apple Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $304.91 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Apple has a 1 year low of $223.78 and a 1 year high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.45 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.97, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $309.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.26.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter was its strongest June quarter on record, with revenue rising 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion and earnings per share of $2.02, ahead of Wall Street expectations. Some investors and analysts, including Gene Munster, view the recent weakness as an attractive accumulation opportunity and anticipate a substantial iPhone upgrade cycle. Apple’s Dip Below $310 is a Great Accumulation Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly exploring alternative memory suppliers, including China’s CXMT, as artificial-intelligence demand tightens global DRAM supplies. Diversifying procurement could help reduce shortages and limit production disruptions, although U.S. restrictions may constrain the opportunity. Apple tests China’s CXMT memory chips
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is participating in efforts to make AI-generated content traceable, potentially strengthening platform trust and content provenance over time. The initiative is strategically relevant but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Tech’s Big Push to Make AI Content Traceable
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey is retiring, creating another senior leadership transition. The impact depends on the successor and execution in financial services. Jennifer Bailey retires
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded AAPL from Hold to Underperform and cut its price target to $263.66 from $285.56. The firm cited supply-chain checks suggesting Apple may have abandoned a high-end all-glass iPhone, weakening the case for significantly higher average selling prices. Bloomberg separately reported that the 2027 device may still be on track, leaving uncertainty rather than confirmation. Jefferies downgrades Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Surging memory and storage costs could raise iPhone production expenses by roughly 38%, forcing Apple to choose between higher prices that could pressure demand and lower margins. Reports that iPhone prices have already increased by as much as $300 are intensifying concerns about consumer affordability and pricing power. Apple’s Next iPhone Could Test Pricing Power
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst confidence has cooled despite strong revenue growth, with investors questioning whether Apple can sustain premium-device growth at its roughly $4.45 trillion valuation, particularly as Nvidia and other AI leaders capture more market enthusiasm.

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.