AAPL Apple Inc.
Price Chart
Executive Summary
Maxim Group upgraded Apple (AAPL) to Buy from Hold with a $300 price target, as part of a cluster of 28 firms issuing ratings on the stock. The upgrade comes from a firm with a 100% accuracy rate (4/4 calls) and an average return of 14.2%, though the sample size is small. Consensus is heavily bullish: 37 of 54 analysts rate Buy or Strong Buy, with a mean target of $298.46, implying ~10% upside from the current $271.35. EPS revisions have been trending upward over the past 30 days across all periods. However, insider selling continues — CEO Tim Cook sold $1.28M, and COO Deirdre O'Brien sold $5.19M in early April — and short interest is elevated at a 58.5% ratio. Institutional action is mixed: Norges Bank reported a new $52.3B position, but Renaissance Technologies exited entirely. The upgrade is in line with consensus direction, limiting its contrarian significance. Bottom line: the bullish signal is validated by strong earnings momentum but dampened by insider exits and short interest.
Impact Score
Consensus & Targets
Of 54 analysts covering AAPL, 14 rate Strong Buy, 23 Buy, 15 Hold, 2 Sell, and 0 Strong Sell. That's 69% buy-side ratings, indicating a strong bullish consensus. Only 3.7% of analysts are bearish.
Mean price target is $298.46, median $300, high $350, low $215. Current price is $271.35, implying 10.0% upside to the mean. Maxim Group's $300 target sits exactly at the median, in line with consensus.
Recent Analyst Activity
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-01 | Wedbush | reiterate | Outperform | $350.00 |
| 2026-05-01 | Barclays | maintain | Underweight | $253.00 |
| 2026-05-01 | Wells Fargo | maintain | Overweight | $310.00 |
| 2026-05-01 | DA Davidson | maintain | Neutral | $270.00 |
| 2026-05-01 | Rosenblatt | maintain | Neutral | $276.00 |
| 2026-05-01 | Morgan Stanley | maintain | Overweight | $330.00 |
| 2026-05-01 | Needham | reiterate | Hold | — |
| 2026-04-28 | UBS | maintain | Neutral | $287.00 |
| 2026-04-21 | Wedbush | reiterate | Outperform | $350.00 |
| 2026-04-21 | Rosenblatt | maintain | Neutral | $268.00 |
Over the past 30 days, there has been 1 upgrade (Maxim) and 0 downgrades. EPS estimates have been revised upward: +1y EPS up from $9.35 to $9.43 (+0.8%), +1q EPS up from $1.73 to $1.74 (+0.3%), and current quarter EPS up from $1.95 to $1.94 (flat). Revisions up outnumber down across all periods (e.g., 6 up vs 5 down for +1y, 5 up vs 1 down for +1q).
Firm Track Record — Maxim Group
Maxim Group accuracy: 43% on 305 calls | avg return: 5.9%
Industry benchmark: mean 51% ± 11%. Top tier: ≥61% (mean + 1σ). Based on 15 firms with ≥5 scored calls.
| Firm | Accuracy | Calls | Avg Return | vs Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oppenheimer | 100% | 4/4 | 3.8% | top tier |
| MoffettNathanson | 100% | 3/3 | -2.2% | top tier |
| Maxim Group | 100% | 4/4 | 14.2% | top tier |
| Tigress Financial | 100% | 4/4 | 10.7% | top tier |
| Melius Research | 100% | 5/5 | 14% | top tier |
| UBS | 83% | 5/6 | 9.5% | top tier |
| Jefferies | 82% | 9/11 | 3.5% | top tier |
| Rosenblatt | 80% | 12/15 | 8.5% | top tier |
| Wedbush | 76% | 19/25 | 10.2% | top tier |
| Bernstein | 75% | 3/4 | 8.8% | top tier |
Maxim Group has a 100% accuracy rate (4 of 4 calls) with an average return of 14.2% per rating, placing it among top-tier firms. However, the sample is very small. Other top-performing firms include Oppenheimer (100% on 4 calls, avg return 3.8%) and MoffettNathanson (100% on 3 calls, avg return -2.2%). The lowest accuracy among tracked firms is JPMorgan at 67% (10/15).
Earnings Estimates
Next earnings: Jul 29, 2026
| Period | EPS Est. | EPS Range | Revenue | Revisions (7d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +1y | $9.43 | $8.43 — $10.95 | $501.9B | ↑4 ↓0 |
| +1q | $1.74 | $1.63 — $1.89 | $102.5B | ↑3 ↓0 |
| 0q | $1.94 | $1.56 — $2.16 | $109.6B | ↑3 ↓0 |
| 0y | $8.52 | $7.96 — $9.08 | $467.0B | ↑3 ↓0 |
Cross-Platform Signals
Insider activity shows persistent selling: CEO Tim Cook sold $1.28M on April 2, COO Deirdre O'Brien sold $5.19M on April 2, and VP Kevan Parekh sold $422K on April 23. Congressional trades show 4 sells vs 1 buy since February 2026. Institutional changes are mixed: Norges Bank reported a new $52.3B position, but also an exit (possibly different funds), Renaissance Technologies exited completely, and Two Sigma added 47.3%. Short interest ratio is 58.5% (11.9M shares short vs 20.3M daily volume), indicating elevated bearish positioning. This diverges from the bullish analyst upgrade.
Actionable Insight
The Maxim Group upgrade adds to a strong bullish consensus, but heavy insider selling and elevated short interest create a caution flag. Traders should monitor for a break above $300 resistance before adding long exposure, and use tight stops below $265.
Documents Analyzed
Report based on filing metadata.
Track record builds as more directional reports settle.
Filters
| Type | Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jun 16, 2026
today
|
ANALYST-UPGRADE
| $270.23 $271.06 | ▲ +0.31% | ▼ −0.23% | $299.24 (+10.74%) |
|
May 31, 2026
16d ago
|
ANALYST-UPGRADE
| $258.72 $278.12 | ▲ +7.50% | ▲ +7.63% | $299.24 (+15.66%) |
|
May 20, 2026
28d ago
|
Court Ruling
| $302.22 $310.85 | ▲ +2.86% | ▲ +1.62% | $299.24 (−0.98%) |
|
May 17, 2026
4w ago
|
ANALYST-UPGRADE
| $270.16 $270.96 | ▲ +0.30% | ▼ −0.26% | $299.24 (+10.77%) |
|
May 6, 2026
6w ago
|
Insider Cluster
| $287.34 $294.80 | ▲ +2.60% | ▲ +1.47% | $299.24 (+4.14%) |
|
May 1, 2026
6w ago
|
ANALYST-UPGRADE
| $258.72 $278.12 | ▲ +7.50% | ▲ +7.63% | $299.24 (+15.66%) |
|
Apr 30, 2026
6w ago
|
8-K
| $280.03 $293.03 | ▲ +4.64% | ▲ +2.30% | $299.24 (+6.86%) |
|
Apr 20, 2026
8w ago
|
8-K
| $266.09 $270.78 | ▲ +1.76% | ▲ +0.68% | $299.24 (+12.46%) |
|
Apr 17, 2026
8w ago
|
ANALYST-UPGRADE
| $270.16 $271.06 | ▲ +0.33% | ▼ −0.22% | $299.24 (+10.77%) |
US Market Status
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