Apple Stock Gets Higher EPS Forecast from Erste Group Bank

Posted by Geri Gentry on Oct 23rd, 2026

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2027 earnings estimates for shares of Apple in a research report issued on Wednesday, October 21st. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the iPhone maker will earn $9.58 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $9.57. The consensus estimate for Apple’s current full-year earnings is $8.75 per share.

AAPL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citic Securities increased their price target on Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.12.

Read Our Latest Report on AAPL

Apple Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $348.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market cap of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $328.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $309.07. Apple has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $348.36.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $182,897,769,000 after acquiring an additional 28,321,085 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after purchasing an additional 13,780,080 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total value of $806,495.82. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total transaction of $8,460,671.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,832,236.98. This represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: iPhone Duo demand is the leading catalyst. Preorders for Apple’s $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with some deliveries pushed into 2027. DigiTimes also reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44%, to 14 million units from 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets
Positive Sentiment: The foldable’s launch appears supply constrained. Apple said stores will have limited walk-in inventory, while online orders have already created lengthy backlogs. Strong demand for a premium new product could support revenue, mix and pricing power. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market
Positive Sentiment: Apple is benefiting from its defensive AI positioning. Investors are favoring Apple’s substantial free cash flow and device-focused AI approach over technology companies committing very large sums to data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued major holding also supports the stock’s appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge
Positive Sentiment: New product and ecosystem opportunities could extend growth. Apple is expanding smart-home offerings through a Schneider Electric collaboration and is expected to discuss additional products at an October 28 event. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products
Neutral Sentiment: Apple shares have reached new intraday and closing highs, but valuation raises the bar. With a market capitalization of roughly $5.08 trillion and a price-to-earnings ratio near 40, investors will need strong holiday sales, margins and continued product growth to justify further gains. Apple shares hit new all-time highs
Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and insider selling remain headwinds. Loop Capital downgraded Apple to Hold and lowered its price target to $330, while SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth approximately $815,000. The sale is small relative to Apple’s size but may add to investor caution after the stock’s strong run.

Apple Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Apple Inc designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware ecosystem.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple Pay and other subscription, payment and digital-content offerings.