Apple Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 1,377,435 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 69% compared to the typical volume of 815,803 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $239.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $325.00 target price on Apple in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, CLSA raised their price target on Apple from $265.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $289.23.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 3,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC increased its position in Apple by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 25,239 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $6,861,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the period. Belleair Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth $1,213,000. RCW Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $470,000. Safe Harbor Family Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,147,000. Finally, Delta Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC now owns 68,043 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $18,498,000 after buying an additional 7,805 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarter driven by iPhone 17 and China — Apple beat revenue and EPS expectations, reported record iPhone sales and gave strong March-quarter revenue/margin guidance, supporting bullish near-term fundamentals. Apple sales, profit beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/price-target increases — Several firms raised targets and reiterated buy ratings after the beat (including TD Cowen, JPMorgan, Monness Crespi & Hardt), which supports upside sentiment among institutional investors. Analyst notes
• Neutral Sentiment: AI strategy remains ambiguous — Apple announced partnerships (e.g., Google Gemini) and made AI-related M&A (Q.ai), but offered limited execution details; these moves signal intent but leave monetization and competitive positioning unclear. AI details unclear
• Neutral Sentiment: Potential supply-chain diversification — Reports that Apple is exploring U.S. foundry partners (e.g., Intel) could ease long-term sourcing risk but are early-stage and not an immediate fix for 2026 capacity issues. Intel foundry reports
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory-chip costs and shortages — Apple warned memory prices are beginning to bite; suppliers like Samsung and SK Hynix are prioritizing AI chips, tightening supply and pressuring gross margins if costs stay elevated. Memory cost warning
• Negative Sentiment: iPhone production constraints — Multiple reports say TSMC/other chip shortages are limiting Apple’s ability to meet iPhone demand, forcing Apple to prioritize premium models and potentially capping unit growth despite strong demand. TSMC supply short
• Negative Sentiment: Talent and execution questions in AI — Reports of AI researcher departures and commentary that the Google partnership could limit Apple’s AI upside have soured investor enthusiasm for Apple’s AI prospects. AI researcher departures

Apple Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $259.48 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $268.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $251.72. 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 has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $288.62. The company has a market cap of $3.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 171.22%. Apple’s revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.40 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Apple will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.