Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Trading Down 1% – Here’s Why
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemShares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) traded down 1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $270.51 and last traded at $270.9150. 36,139,770 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 54,924,730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $273.67.
Key Apple News
Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifting targets and bullish notes — Multiple firms raised price targets (Morgan Stanley to $315; Jefferies raised its target) and bullish research highlights AI and iPhone momentum, supporting upside to consensus. This increases buy-side conviction and could drive further upgrades and inflows. Apple (AAPL) Target Raised as Jefferies Sees Stronger iPhone Demand
- Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sees AI upside — Notes from analysts (including bullish calls projecting up to ~$350) cite Apple’s AI roadmap, Siri improvements and device roadmap as potential multi-quarter catalysts, which lifts medium-term valuation expectations. Apple (AAPL) Stock: Wall Street Analysts See Major Upside as AI Plans Unfold
- Positive Sentiment: iPhone demand/holiday strength — Reports note iPhone 17 sales outperforming expectations, which supports near-term revenue and margin outlook (Apple still gets roughly half its revenue from iPhone). Strong device results reduce downside risk to near-term EPS. Apple (AAPL) Stock: Wall Street Analysts See Major Upside as AI Plans Unfold
- Neutral Sentiment: Product roadmap rumors — Reports claim Apple is targeting 2026 launches for AI smart glasses and camera-equipped AirPods; promising long-term optionality but execution/timing remain uncertain. These keep investors hopeful but are not immediate revenue drivers. Apple Targets 2026 Launch For AI Smart Glasses, Camera-Equipped AirPods
- Neutral Sentiment: Large-shareholder chatter — Commentary that Berkshire Hathaway may stop selling Apple in 2026 (or has been rebalancing) is a signal about major-holder positioning; it affects sentiment but not fundamentals. Prediction: Berkshire Hathaway Will Stop Selling Apple Stock in 2026
- Negative Sentiment: Italy antitrust fine — Italy’s competition authority fined Apple ~€98.6M (~$115–116M) for alleged abuse related to an App Store privacy feature (App Tracking Transparency). Regulatory fines and antitrust scrutiny add legal/regulatory risk and headline volatility, even if the amount is small relative to Apple’s scale. Italy’s antitrust fines Apple for alleged abuse of dominant position with App Store
- Negative Sentiment: Input-cost pressure risk — Commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer) warns that higher memory prices from suppliers like Micron could pressure component costs and margins if Apple cannot fully pass them on. This is a potential margin headwind to watch. Jim Cramer Says “Apple Might Be Hurt By Higher Memory Prices From Micron”
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Wedbush set a $350.00 price target on Apple and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective (up previously from $300.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up previously from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $241.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.92.
View Our Latest Report on Apple
Apple Price Performance
The stock has a market cap of $4.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $270.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.82.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $102.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.65 billion. Apple had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 164.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.
Apple Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 13.92%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Apple news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,199 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.39, for a total transaction of $1,038,790.61. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,168,373.35. This represents a 32.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 47,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.79, for a total transaction of $12,101,228.75. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 179,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,005,982.82. The trade was a 20.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 228,052 shares of company stock worth $58,604,588 in the last quarter. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 6.4% during the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares in the last quarter. Ryan Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth $31,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% in the first 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 last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC lifted its stake in Apple by 333.3% in the second quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.