Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Trading Up 3% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shot up 3% during mid-day trading on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $305.00 to $315.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Apple traded as high as $256.56 and last traded at $255.41. 55,127,347 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 12% from the average session volume of 49,232,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $248.04.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on AAPL. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on Apple from $241.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $282.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.23, for a total transaction of $1,017,654.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,030.54. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $315 and kept an overweight stance, citing strong iPhone demand — a bullish analyst catalyst that supports upside expectations into earnings. Apple gets price target boost from JPMorgan
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is rolling out a Gemini‑powered Siri in February (Google partnership), which investors view as tangible AI progress that could show up in services engagement and long-term monetization. Apple’s Gemini‑Powered Siri Arrives in February
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is expanding App Store ad opportunities for developers in March, which could lift Services revenue over time and give investors another near-term monetization vector. Apple’s Expanded Ad Opportunities For Developers Coming in March
• Neutral Sentiment: The market is setting up for a volatile earnings week (Magnificent 7 plus a Fed meeting); option markets expect a roughly 4% move for AAPL around the print, raising short-term event risk despite positive catalysts. Options traders expect a 4.15% move
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile portfolio moves (Pelosi filing) show large Apple share sales paired with LEAPS purchases — signals range from tax/rebalancing to continued long-term conviction; adds noise but not a clear directional signal. Pelosi’s Bullish 2026 Buy List
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed its outlook (lowered price target) pointing to slowing App Store growth and Google ad competition — risks to Services growth are being priced in by some sell‑side firms. Jefferies Flags App Store and Google Ad Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Smaller shops (Aletheia) maintain sell ratings and lowered targets arguing hardware margin pressure — downside risk if Apple reports weaker-than-expected iPhone margins or conservative guidance. Aletheia Maintains Sell on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/PR overhang: outlets report combined settlements over alleged voice‑data issues (Apple + Google), a headline risk that could fuel short-term investor caution around guidance and services commentary. Google, Apple to pay combined $163M to settle lawsuits

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 6.4% in the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 5,808 shares during the period. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Apple by 110.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC boosted its holdings in Apple by 333.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $269.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.98. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.57, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.65 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 164.05% and a net margin of 26.92%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 13.92%.

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.