Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Trading 3.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) traded up 3.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $326.74 and last traded at $326.57. 69,416,951 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 39% from the average session volume of 50,027,633 shares. The stock had previously closed at $315.34.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple unveiled the $1,999 iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. Investors view the new form factor as a potential catalyst for upgrades, higher average selling prices and stronger ecosystem engagement. Some analysts believe the Duo could eventually represent a meaningful share of iPhone revenue. Foldable iPhone and iPhone 18 Pro unveiled
• Positive Sentiment: The launch also highlighted upgraded Siri AI, the A20 Pro chip, improved cameras, AirPods 5 and new Apple Watch health features, giving investors a more constructive view of Apple’s product and artificial-intelligence strategy. Apple unveils iPhone Duo
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $400 price target, while other bullish analysts expect the foldable device to support a renewed iPhone upgrade cycle. Call-option activity also increased, signaling elevated speculative interest. TD Cowen reiterates Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided on whether the expensive Duo can generate sufficient volume. Apple’s entry into foldables strengthens its competitive position against Samsung and other rivals, but demand, supply availability and long-term retention remain unproven.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple raised iPhone Pro starting prices by $100 as memory and other component costs rise. Analysts warn that pricing could limit adoption and pressure margins; UBS maintained a Neutral view, and Bank of America lowered its price target despite retaining a Buy rating. Apple raises iPhone Pro prices
• Negative Sentiment: Higher oil prices, rising bond yields and renewed inflation concerns are weighing on the overall market and could limit upside for high-valuation technology stocks, including AAPL.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. China Renaissance cut Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. BTIG Research started coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, September 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 four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.26.

Apple Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.77 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $317.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $291.73.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is 12.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 5,872 shares of company stock worth $1,823,201 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Apple

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Miramontes Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Miramontes Capital LLC now owns 93,662 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $27,102,000 after buying an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Core Capital Management & Research inc. purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at about $614,000. Palogic Value Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Apple by 107.3% during the 2nd quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 94,189 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $27,287,000 after acquiring an additional 48,752 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank of Raymore raised its position in shares of Apple by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Community Bank of Raymore now owns 17,777 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,144,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IPG Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 9.6% during the second quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 78,040 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $22,582,000 after purchasing an additional 6,854 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Company Profile

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.