Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Up 3.2% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shot up 3.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $266.29 and last traded at $263.88. 57,946,931 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 6% from the average session volume of 54,618,629 shares. The stock had previously closed at $255.78.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirms an “Outperform” rating and keeps a high $350 price target, arguing the recent pullback is unwarranted and that 2026 could be a big year for Apple’s AI push. Wedbush Reaffirms Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is testing new AI-focused consumer devices and accelerating work on AI wearables add to a constructive long-term narrative that could support revenue diversification beyond iPhone. As Apple Tests AI Devices
• Positive Sentiment: Apple TV signed a distribution agreement with EverPass Media to bring live sports to bars, hotels and other commercial venues — a small but tangible expansion of distribution and monetization for streaming sports content. Apple TV Partners With EverPass Media
• Positive Sentiment: Several institutional investors and hedge funds reportedly increased Apple stakes (e.g., Woodline, Driehaus), indicating fresh buying interest from some large managers. Woodline Boosts Apple Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Google and Apple are both adding music-focused generative-AI features to consumer apps — a sign AI is moving into mainstream services but not an immediate revenue inflection for Apple. Google Gemini, Apple Add Music-Focused Generative AI Features
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta reportedly revived a smartwatch project aimed at competing with Apple Watch. This raises competitive noise but is not yet a confirmed near-term earnings risk. Meta Looks to Take on Apple With First Smartwatch
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in the feed appear to show anomalies (zeros/NaN) and don’t provide a clear signal about sustained new bearish positioning. No reliable short-squeeze/pressure signal visible yet.
• Negative Sentiment: West Virginia’s attorney general sued Apple alleging iCloud end-to-end encryption is being used to store/distribute child sexual abuse material — a legal and reputational risk that investors view as potentially costly and regulatory-sensitive. Apple Sued Over Allegations of CSAM on iCloud
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway trimmed its Apple position in the latest 13F/filing cycle — headlines framed as “Buffett dumps more Apple.” While Berkshire remains a large shareholder, the reported trimming put pressure on sentiment and likely contributed to selling. Buffett Dumps More Apple

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. DZ Bank upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $239.00 price target (up previously from $230.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.13.

Apple Stock Down 1.4%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $265.27 and its 200-day moving average is $256.99. The firm has a market cap of $3.83 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.25 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 159.94% and a net margin of 27.04%.Apple’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in Apple by 6.4% during the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 5,808 shares in the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 333.3% during the second quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.