FY2027 EPS Estimates for Apple Decreased by Erste Group Bank

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank cut their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Apple in a research note issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the iPhone maker will post earnings per share of $9.32 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $9.34. The consensus estimate for Apple’s current full-year earnings is $7.28 per share.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted 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. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.The firm had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price target on Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.58.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $248.80 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $260.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $262.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.65 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.45, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. Apple has a 1-year low of $169.21 and a 1-year high of $288.62.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.15%.

Institutional Trading of Apple

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,936,000. Up Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $1,583,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $41,605,000. Painted Porch Advisors LLC grew its position in Apple by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 55,696 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $15,141,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899 shares during the period. Finally, Carter Financial LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $1,577,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush says 2026 could be a significant product year and raises upside potential (they reiterate Outperform and a $350 target), framing WWDC and AI-driven hardware as major catalysts. Apple in focus as Wedbush calls 2026 a ‘significant’ product launch year ahead of WWDC
• Positive Sentiment: Apple hired ex-Google executive Lilian Rincon as VP of product marketing for AI — a concrete senior hire to accelerate Siri/AI positioning and marketing. Apple hires ex-Google executive to head AI marketing amid push to improve Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports say Apple will open Siri to rival AI assistants (Gemini, Claude, etc.) in iOS 27 — this pivot can broaden iPhone AI capabilities without Apple building everything in‑house. Apple Plans to Open Up Siri to Rival AI Assistants in iOS 27 Update
• Positive Sentiment: Services continue to grow (reported ~14% y/y, Apple TV and gaming aiding strength) — recurring high‑margin revenue supports earnings upside even if hardware cycles lag. Strong Streaming & Game Content Aids Apple’s Services: What’s Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple expands U.S. manufacturing program, adding Bosch, Cirrus Logic, TDK and Qnity and committing $400M — reduces supply‑chain risk and supports domestic sourcing narrative. Apple adds Bosch, Cirrus Logic, others to US manufacturing program, to invest $400 million
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is granting rare large stock bonuses to iPhone designers to curb talent departures to AI firms — a retention step to protect future product execution. Apple Drops Six Figure Bonuses To Stop iPhone Talent Exodus
• Neutral Sentiment: An analyst tweak: Erste trimmed FY2027 EPS slightly — minimal change to consensus, but worth watching for estimate revisions. Apple Inc. analyst note (Erste Group) via MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Steve Wozniak publicly criticizes AI and says he hardly uses it — a reputational/PR datapoint but unlikely to move fundamentals. Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak admits he’s ‘disappointed a lot’ by AI and hardly uses it
• Negative Sentiment: Broader tech sector weakness — Nasdaq slide, Meta legal losses and geopolitical worries are pressuring tech stocks, which is dragging AAPL despite company‑specific positives. Tech stocks suffer worst week in nearly a year, driven down by war worries, Meta legal woes
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Apple has discontinued the Mac Pro and abandoned future updates could concern pro users and niche revenue, though impact on total revenue is limited. Apple reportedly discontinues Mac Pro, abandons plans for future updates

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.