Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Apple's foldable iPhone Duo sold out in minutes and sent the stock to a record that briefly toppled Nvidia from the top of the global market cap rankings. Whether a supply-starved device cycle can justify that valuation is the question…

For a few hours on Friday, a phone maker was worth more than the company behind the AI boom. Shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) touched a record intraday high of $351.73. That raised its value to about $5.1 trillion and briefly put it ahead of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on the day its foldable iPhone Duo reached stores.

Nvidia took the lead back by the close. Apple slid 0.14% to $347.73 ($5.074 trillion), and Nvidia fell 0.59% to $210.96 ($5.094 trillion), ending up about $20 billion ahead.

On Thursday, the gap was about $42 billion. What remains uncertain is whether a foldable cycle held back by limited supply justifies the same valuation as the AI chip leader, ahead of Apple’s report on November 2.

Two Opposite Businesses Now Carry the Same Price Tag Apple sells devices plus the services built on them. Nvidia sells the data center systems behind AI.

Lens Apple Nvidia Latest quarterly revenue $109.42 billion $96.22 billion Revenue growth 16.4% 105.8% P/E 45 42 One-month move +3.18% -6.45% Nvidia is growing far faster at a lower multiple. The opposite one-month moves suggest some money is rotating from AI chips toward Apple, although one month is a short window.

Sold-Out Duos Prove Demand but Cap the Holiday Quarter The Duo starts at $1,999 and tops out at $3,199. Preorders sold out almost immediately, and deliveries slid into late January. On eBay, sellers asked more than $4,000 for the base model.

Demand clearly tops supply. That shortage limits what Apple can book in the December quarter and drives some revenue into 2027. Even so, the higher entry price should raise the average iPhone selling price, which helps margins.

Beijing Scalpers Point to Real China Demand In China, the Duo starts at nearly 16,000 yuan. Apple blocked walk-in purchases there on launch day and limited online orders to two per buyer. Scalpers in Beijing offered up to 3,000 yuan (about $448) above what buyers paid.

That premium matters in a market where Apple has faced tough local competition. It also gives John Ternus, CEO since September 1, a strong first major launch.

Apple’s July guidance for the September quarter called for 9%-11% revenue growth and a 47%-48% gross margin. That margin included about one percentage point from tariff refunds. Tim Cook, then CEO, described “a 100-year flood on the memory pricing,” and Apple has reluctantly raised prices.

You’d want to hear holiday guidance, Duo supply timing, and China commentary. Nvidia follows on November 18, after guiding to $108 billion in revenue for the quarter.

Apple’s Record Valuation Faces a Critical Test Apple’s valuation looks extended at this record high. At 45 times earnings, the stock already prices in a Duo cycle that limited supply will spread across several quarters, while memory costs squeeze margins.

Nvidia offers faster growth at a lower multiple. Its data center revenue rose 117%, and management expects about 70% revenue growth in fiscal 2028 even with supply limits.

Nvidia has real risks, including no China data center compute revenue in its guidance and financing ties to AI labs. Still, Nvidia’s lower multiple looks more reasonable for that growth. If Apple shows easing Duo supply and steady margins on November 2, I would change my view.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool contributors Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss:

Apple's smart home push.The premium pricing problem.ASML's semiconductor monopoly.AI demand and valuations.China's luxury slowdown.Luxury stocks on sale.To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy.

A full transcript is below.

This podcast was recorded on Oct. 14, 2026.

Travis Hoium: Can Apple take over the home? Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing starts now. Welcome to Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing. I’m Travis Hoium. I’m joined today by Lou Whiteman and Rachel Warren, and guys, Apple came out with some new products yesterday. That wasn't the big show that they often put on, but these were some pretty notable product line expansions. Rachel, we've got some new home security systems. They didn't quite call it security systems, but security cameras, doorbells, indoor cameras, pretty high price point compared to what we've seen in the past. Some of these things are $300 instead of under 100, which you can get from a lot of these services. Then the other thing is the HomeView, which is essentially an iPad with a speaker for $300. Are you going to buy one of these?

Rachel Warren: I'm not necessarily waiting in line to buy one of these. I'm saying that as someone who's pretty locked into the Apple ecosystem as a consumer. I'm a longtime Apple shareholder, so I'm not a hater here, but I don't think this is the most revolutionary thing they've put forward. Now, just to talk a little bit about what they've released. They launched HomeView. This is a $299 Smart Home command center. It's got a seven inch liquid retina screen. It's got the 18-chip camera that's available in Tabletop or wall-mounted versions. Then Apple also debuted what they're calling the Apple Home collection. It's essentially a curated storefront of premium accessories, cameras, and thermostats, deadbolts, and they co-develop these with Schneider Electric and LG Electronics. Now, what's interesting is HomeView. You've got your typical multi-user facial recognition.

They've got widgets you can swap for up to six family members. That's actually a feature that the regular iPads still lack. It's designed to stay online even if your Wi-Fi drops. The ecosystem is restricted, though. HomeView lacks the proper app store for streaming or games. You have to have an iCloud+ plan for video recording. This offering is also currently blocked from the EU markets because of the Siri AI restrictions that are still being ironed out. But to me, looking at this, sensors are about 40 bucks. The cameras are about $200. The dead bolts can be up to $350. This is significantly more expensive than, say, using Amazon Alexa or Google Home alternatives or, say, Nest Ring hardware. Are consumers going to want to switch to that? I don't.

Travis Hoium: Lou, what struck me here when you look through the product lineup for basically everything that they announced. The HomeView is just an iPad with a speaker attached to it. Security stuff is products that exist. This seems a little bit like coming out with the iPhone, but doing it in 2015 instead of 2007, where there's already an established market. I have a couple of cameras around the house. We have an internal sensor; there’s no way that I’m either switching from what I have now or spending anywhere near the price point. I seem to come back to that with all these Apple products, despite the fact that I've got a ton of apple stuff in the house.

Lou Whiteman: Well, stop me if you've heard this before, but welcome to the age of incrementalism because that's what we're talking about here. Rachel's right. It's not inspiring. It's no more one more thing where it's just some crazy new thing like that you never knew you needed. Now it's just adding layers or adding functionality to your established ecosystem. You're right, it's overpriced, but it also comes with the Apple brand. I think they'll sell fine. They also have partners. They're not really taking on the risk or the development. I think that this is a no brainer to do, but it's not a revenue mover. I think the most interesting part of this to me is and this may be where we're going here is there was a lot of talk about Siri AI in the house will carry usage limits. If you want to get past those usage limits, you're going to pay them more money.

If there's a path here, I don't think it's in the hardware, it's in the services going up. First of all, you got to get everybody addicted to the products, though. I have a smart home. I have all of this stuff. To be honest, it's all neat, and I don't know if I'd pay a dollar for any of it. I think they have a big hurdle to get to where they want to do, but I think the plan is expand the ecosystem that you've already has established just the incremental revenue there, and look to a future where the home really is smart and you can jack up the price for some of these series, services, and other things.

Travis Hoium: We talked about this a couple of weeks ago, but this is basically the one-decade anniversary of when the home vision came out. The home app. I try to use some of those tools, but they're extremely difficult to use. This almost does seem like the thing that is the manifestation of what that should have been but it's a very apple way of integrating everything together, and I don't doubt that this will all work phenomenally well. But asking people to spend several thousand dollars on devices they may already have and are available for much less money, not to mention, we haven't even talked about the Apple TV. I got three Apple TVs in the house. Probably didn't spend $300 on all of them, much less on one of them. I'm not sure what the real advantages of that product. It seems to me with everything that they're doing, they're almost pricing themselves at this super premium point in the market, which is becoming more challenging because it's not as differentiated as it used to.

Lou Whiteman: That's the great question. I think, arguably, HomeKit failed back a decade ago because they insisted on the walled garden. In a time when everything was just new, and everybody else could communicate with each other, they were the ones who said, No, you have to live inside our ecosystem. I think they would argue they were too early there, not wrong. But as you say, now that everyone has these things, will the walled garden work now? Are you going to replace an existing Ring doorbell for a more expensive Apple one just for the Siri goodness? Because again, I don't know what you think with yours, but I don't know what I want AI to do here. I do think it's an open question, but I do think that it's a question that they feel they can solve over time. We'll see. As you say, it failed before. I don't think it's a guarantee to work this time, but again, I think the stakes are pretty low for Apple, so why not? 

Travis Hoium: When we come back, we're going to talk about ASML's earnings. We'll be back in a moment.

Welcome back to the show. ASML reported earnings before the market opened today, and Rachel, things looked pretty good, which I don't think is a huge surprise because they're selling equipment that has multiple years of lead time, and they've got a ton of backlog.

Rachel Warren: Yeah, that's absolutely right. If you're not familiar with the company, ASML, they're Dutch tech giant. They hold the monopoly on the manufacturing of extreme ultraviolet or EUV lithography machines. These are really complex multi ton systems. They print the microscopic circuit patterns onto silicon wafers. Essentially, ASML is the gatekeeper of the semiconductor industry. All the advanced chips Nvidia’s AI processors can't be made without them. Just a little background there. ASML, they pulled in more than 11 billion euros in revenue. Came in well above profit expectations. Gross margins are creeping up towards 60%. CEO has already warned that their planned manufacturing capacity for 2027 and 2028 is already entirely sold out. They're not going to be able to fully meet customer demand. Essentially, you've got the sole provider of the world's most critical chipmaking hardware. They're saying they can't build the machines fast enough to keep up with the market through the end of the decade. I think the cut of biggest takeaway that we're continuing to see outlined here is that that key AI infrastructure build-out, it isn't slowing down anytime soon. If anything, I think there's just a question of there's this artificial ceiling on how much revenue this company can mathematically recognize over the next couple of years. There's constraint from the supply chain. Long run, though, this is great for the industry, and it's certainly great for ASML.

Travis Hoium: Lou, lots of revenue, lots of profits. This is a bottleneck and the stocks up 0.1% as we're recording.

Lou Whiteman: Probably is right. Look, Rachel said it, but maybe this is the toughest company in the world to really look at quarter-to-quarter and learn anything. The high end machines we're talking about, they take 18 months from delivery to order to get installed. You need two huge Jumbo jets to set it up. Look, it's hard to move the needle here. Elevated demand through 2028, all the way to 2030. That's thesis confirming. I don't think that's going to surprise anyone, so that's why I think the stock isn't moving. But look, there were some good notes here. They can't sell the high-end machines to China, but they can sell the low-end more than commoditized machines, and they are seeing a lot of demand and a lot of revenue from China. That's good because that's incremental. That's not really what we were focused on.

Also, they are expanding capacity by 30% over the next few years and they see enough long term demand to invest some of this cash and maybe even go higher for that. I will warn that you have to get your orders in early and most of them are cancelable. I don't know what I think about 20, 30 demand projections, but it's good they see it. Bottom line, ASML is a cyclical stock. There are times to buy. There are times to hold. It's going at 53 times earnings today. You could have bought it for half of that two years ago. This is the time to hold and that's what the stock is doing.

Travis Hoium: It does seem like the question that the market has today with a bunch of the Neoclouds down double digits as we're recording is, sure, there's going to be tons of AI demand in the future, but who's the end customer going to be making revenue from? Who's the Anthropics? The OpenAIs? There's been some reports that they maybe don't have the revenue growth that we were projecting even just a few months ago. Eventually flows its way back to ASML and the semiconductor manufacturing company. Lots to watch over these next few quarters for them. When we come back, we're going to talk about the fall in luxury. We'll do that No. 1.

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Travis Hoium: The luxury retail business has been one of those that seems like it's been on fire for a decade or two at this point, but over the past year or two, we've seen things really reverse. This caught my eye because it's something that seems like it's happening across the industry. Lou, I looked up some of these stocks. [inaudible] currently in 73% drawdown. Hermès down 54%, LVMH, which is arguably the biggest and best of these companies, down about 57%. Is luxury just going out of style at this point? This seems like one of these companies that with more and more rich people, you got to sell bags to somebody.

Lou Whiteman: Cycles happen, and I think that's the big takeaway here. There's three factors that they talk about with luxury right now is hitting on the industry. One, China demand has been going in the wrong direction. Some of that is just geopolitical. Western stuff is out of favor. Some of what's going on with the Chinese economy. We love this. We love the elasticity of pricing, but there's backlash there, too. During the pandemic, a lot of people bought a lot of stuff, and these brands jacked up prices based on demand. Now we're seeing that come back down to Earth, which is hurting the bottom line. The third part of it, related is the aspirational buyer is falling out of the market right now, arguably. We talk about the K shape economy. The upper end of the K can still buy. But as things go more K and the bottom falls, there's a lot of, I don't want to say wannabe. I guess aspirational is nicer. But there are a lot of people that probably shouldn't be buying an overpriced handbag in the first place, who was in a position to do it a few years ago. There's fewer of them are in position to do so now.

Travis Hoium: Rachel, it seems like China is really the big story. That was a tailwind for a very long time for companies, and now it's become a bit of a headwind.

Rachel Warren: That's definitely part of it. LVMH, they reported a 5% organic revenue decline in their core fashion and leather goods division. Obviously, the weaknesses in consumer confidence and spending in China is one key area, macro cooling across the board. We've seen that stock particularly down about 50% from its all-time highs a few years ago. We're seeing different reactions though across the sector. Obviously, LVMH, they're having this Ashland business, there's another key rival Kering. Kering owns Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga. Their revenue actually plunged by about 16% in their recent readout. Then you've got some of the mid-tier and aspirational brands like Burberry. They're faring even worse. They're seeing major profit slumps, and this is because a lot of their consumers that are more squarely in the middle-class spending area have completely pulled back.

ow, the contrast to that, you look at the very ultra exclusive mega brands like Hermes. They are still broadly immune from what we're seeing. They have the multi-year wait list and also, broadly speaking, a recession-proof clientele. There's a real divergence there. But even going back to LVMH, you look at different parts of their business. For example, their watches and jewellery segment, which is anchored by brands like Tiffany and Co, actually grew 6% organically. If anything, we're also seeing that a lot of these affluent buyers, they're steering clear of some of the more seasonal trends. They're actually parking capital in hard luxury that retains tangible value. I think a lot of the move is to assets, fashion, luxury or otherwise, that can retain and appreciate in value over time.

Travis Hoium: The other thing that I think we can't ignore is the fact that diamonds and fake diamonds have become much more popular and much higher quality that has destroyed the price of that. If you're looking for an engagement ring, it's much cheaper than it was 10 years ago, a little over 10 years ago when I bought mine, little benefit for consumers. But the other thing is, some of these stocks are getting a little bit cheaper. LVMH trading for about 17 times forward earnings. Maybe eventually there will be a value there for investors.

As always, people on the program may have interest in the stocks they talk about, and The Motley Fool may have for more recommendations for or against, so don't buy or sell stocks based solely on what you hear. All personal finance content follows The Motley Fool’s editorial standards, and is not approved by advertisers. Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. To see our full advertising disclosure, please check out our show notes. For Lou Whiteman, Rachel Warren, and Dan Boyd behind the glass, I'm Travis Hoium. We'll see you here tomorrow.

Apple Inc. has already shown there's a strong appetite for its $2,000-and-up foldable iPhone Duo. Now it needs to meet that demand.

watch now

The iPhone Duo has an eye-popping price tag, but initial interest in Apple's first foldable phone in China appears solid.

On the day of the global launch on Friday, scalpers like Alex Wang stood outside the flagship store in Beijing's popular shopping area, Sanlitun, offering to pay customers an extra 3,000 Chinese yuan ($448) to buy their newly purchased phones on the spot.

"I feel the Duo can be sold with a higher price for half a month," he told CNBC while watching the lines of Duo customers who had pre-booked their phones. "The main reason is the tight supply."

Though foldables are still a niche product globally, China's market is the single largest, according to Counterpoint Research.

Apple fan Mary Tong, who was first in a line of about 100 people at the Sanlitun store, showed up at 6 a.m. to pick up her foldable device.

"Apple has been the laggard," she said. "I think many Chinese do prefer foldable phones."

watch now

Huawei is promoting its own AI assistant XiaoYi to boost the Chinese smartphone maker's competitiveness against Apple and other homegrown rivals. Huawei, which already has a broad lineup of foldable phones, launched a new trifold called the Mate XT2 that is priced at about $3,000 on Sept. 7, two days before Apple's Duo announcement.

China's Xiaomi unveiled its own pricey foldable, the 18 Fold, around the same time.

Even before the Beijing Apple store's regular opening hours, customers without a reservation showed up to test their luck to get their hands on the new phone. Apple had said the Duo would not be available for walk-in purchase on launch day in mainland China and would be "limited" in other countries. Each online purchase was restricted to two phones.

Zhang Zheng said he had tried to order one on the site but was discouraged by the delivery timeline, which stretched to January 2027. He said he still wants to buy one.

"I think it will be useful for work and it's cool to look at," he said.

While there was buzz about the device itself, expectations for Apple Intelligence were negligible. The company said a version of the AI system is set for beta testing this month for the mainland China market and will include features like live translation, Clean Up in photos, and writing tools.

On Oct. 14, Beijing approved Alibaba AI models for use in Duo and other Apple devices as part of the U.S. tech giant's pending AI rollout in the country. Apple received Chinese regulatory clearance over the summer.

Chinese official media cited ex-CEO Tim Cook on a recent China trip as saying Apple's revamped Siri AI would not be available in the country yet.

Duo customer John Zhao said he had tried Apple Intelligence while working overseas, and it was "nice but not beyond imagination." He expects the Chinese version to be less exciting.

Read more CNBC tech newsMusk's clash with Ukraine accelerates demand for Starlink alternatives. Few existThird-party evaluators find vulnerabilities in OpenAI monitoring system during test pilotNvidia CEO Jensen Huang says neocloud demand is 'off the charts' but capital is scarceTesla beats on earnings and sales even as auto revenue declines

Apple’s first foldable iPhone is drawing praise for its sleek engineering and nearly invisible screen crease — but critics say its hefty design, camera compromises and uneven app support make the $1,999 gadget a tough sell for most consumers.

On top of that, early reports indicate the pricey device may be prone to crack.

The iPhone Duo hits stores Friday after drawing an 8.8 out of 10 from Engadget and 7 out of 10 from both The Verge and WIRED.

An image posted by a Reddit user shows a damaged iPhone Duo. reddit/Bitter_Offer7123
Engadget called Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable market “worth the wait,” while The Verge described it as a “messy, expensive, good time.”

Meanwhile, Wired called it an “astonishingly good first foldable.”

The device unfolds to reveal a 7.6-inch matte display that dramatically reduces glare, while its innovative hinge operates smoothly and holds the screen at different angles.

However, a handful of Reddit posts indicated severe disappointment for some buyers as of Friday afternoon.

“iPhone Duo screen cracked within 6 hours of ownership,” one user complained.

The person said they had taken out the device to show it off to a friend when they “felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen.”

“As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge,” the post continued. “There were no marks or damage on the inner screen’s surface or the external hinge to suggest anything had been caught or damaged.”

The person zoomed back to an Apple store, where staff gave the customer a new Duo.

Another Reddit user posted a video of a cracked device, commenting: “Looks like some of them are cracking in the exact same area.”

Yet another image of a cracked Duo had the caption, “I’ve seen several iPhone Duos with damage in this exact same spot.”

A display of iPhone Duo smartphones is seen during a launch in Manhattan on Friday. Anadolu via Getty Images
Still, reviewers sung praises of the device’s titanium construction and smooth folding mechanism.

The crease hasn’t disappeared entirely, however. Several critics noted that it remains visible at certain angles and can still be felt when running a finger across the screen.

Apple’s anti-reflective finish also comes with a trade-off: Colors can appear less vibrant and blacks less deep than on the company’s non-folding premium iPhones.

At 254 grams and 11.3 millimeters thick when folded, the Duo’s bulk emerged as one of the most frequent complaints.

Its relatively small 5.4-inch outer display also drew mixed reactions, with some reviewers praising its compact footprint and others complaining that websites and apps feel cramped on the device.

The Wall Street Journal delivered one of the harshest assessments, describing the device as “Too Much iPhone, Too Little iPad.”

A display of iPhone Duo smartphones is seen during the launch in Manhattan on Friday. Anadolu via Getty Images
Despite its expansive inner display, the Duo falls short of an iPad when it comes to productivity, with more limited multitasking and keyboard capabilities, according to the Journal.

Software emerged as another major sticking point.

While Apple’s own apps generally make a seamless transition between the folded and unfolded screens, reviewers found that many third-party offerings weren’t properly optimized for the device.

Wired’s Julian Chokkattu described the problem: “Thick, black bars on the sides, with a phone-sized app in the middle of this tablet-like display.”

Engadget’s Sam Rutherford called the gap between optimized and unoptimized apps “the biggest growing pain you’ll face on Apple’s first foldable.”

Even the Duo’s multitasking capabilities have limitations.

Users can run two apps side by side, but Apple’s software restricts them to a fixed 50-50 split, without the freedom to open a third floating window.

Suraya Shivji, 28, a New York resident visiting San Francisco for a friend’s wedding, reacts to seeing the iPhone Duo in action at the Apple Union Square store in San Francisco on Friday. REUTERS
“If you have two apps split-screen on the Duo, Apple won’t let you resize one app to be slightly bigger than the other like you can on Android,” Chokkattu wrote in Wired.

“Here, a 50-50 split is always enforced. You can’t add a floating third app when in split-screen either, even though Apple has offered a similar capability on iPads for years.”

Those complaints could ease as developers adapt their apps to the new format.

Wired reported that several popular apps received updates during the device’s testing period, while Creative Strategies said the share of its installed apps optimized for the Duo increased dramatically over roughly six days.

Other shortcomings won’t be fixed with software updates.

“Despite being Apple’s most expensive iPhone, the iPhone Duo does not have its most powerful camera system,” Chance Miller of 9to5Mac wrote.

Its main and ultrawide cameras generally earned favorable marks, but several reviewers found their performance inferior to the iPhone 18 Pro, particularly in low light.

The hidden 4-megapixel camera beneath the inner display also disappointed, with Gizmodo reporting washed-out image quality.

An image provided by a Reddit user shows iPhone Duo models with damage in the exact same spot. reddit/robnaught
“I hear you: it feels absurd that a $2,000 phone—the most expensive iPhone ever—does not have the most versatile camera system that Apple has to offer,” Gizmodo’s Raymond Wong wrote, adding that he “noticed more lens flares coming off streetlights and more smeared details.”

Still, the folding design offers some novel photographic advantages, including the ability to use the higher-quality rear cameras for selfies while viewing the shot on the outer screen.

Battery life, meanwhile, exceeded the expectations of several reviewers, even if it couldn’t match Apple’s top conventional iPhone.

Tom’s Guide found that the Duo lasted 13 hours and 20 minutes in a continuous 5G web-browsing test using its larger display.

That handily beat the 10 hours and six minutes recorded by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, but fell well short of the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s 17 hours and 31 minutes.

Other reviewers reported getting through a typical day without needing to recharge, although intensive use of the larger screen could drain the battery considerably faster.

The divergent ratings reflected less disagreement over the Duo’s strengths and weaknesses than differing views about whether its folding design justifies the compromises.

Tom’s Guide called it the “best designed foldable yet,” while 9to5Mac concluded that a conventional iPhone remains the more practical choice for most consumers.

The Post has sought comment from Apple.

Consumer technology firm Apple Inc. (AAPL, Financials) introduced its first foldable iPhone, with demand immediately outstripping supply.

It was made available in key markets starting at around $2,000, however supply was severely limited in a number of nations.

Apple capped preorders at two smartphones per buyer and anticipated delivery dates dropped to late January within minutes of orders starting.

That shortage is helping to build early momentum.

IDC estimates Apple to account for 44% of the foldable market's value in 2026 on 31% of unit sales, before leading the category in both value and volume in 2027.

Early reviews lauded the Duo's hinge, display and general polish but also pointed to tradeoffs such as no telephoto camera and apps not yet suited for the new screen format.

For investors, the launch is less about the numbers right now and more about whether Apple can make foldables into a substantial premium segment.

Next, the issue is whether supply can catch up quickly enough to turn initial enthusiasm into ongoing purchases.

A year of steady gains has put Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) in step with the entire technology sector and well ahead of its biggest mega-cap rivals.

Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 5.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 195,668 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,723 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 1.1% of Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $64,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Apple by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $182,897,769,000 after purchasing an additional 28,321,085 shares during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in 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 second quarter valued at approximately $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Apple by 23.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after buying an additional 13,780,080 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

More Apple News Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside. Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns. Apple Stock Up 1.2% NASDAQ AAPL opened at $348.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a market capitalization of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $243.42 and a one year high of $348.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $328.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $309.07. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple In other news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Timothy D. Cook sold 191,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the sale, the insider owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. This represents a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. Citic Securities boosted their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a report on Thursday, August 6th. China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Get Our Latest Research Report on AAPL

Apple Company Profile (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.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Apple Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check

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Edge Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 163,487 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,861 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 7.9% of Edge Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Edge Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $55,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 822.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 260,792 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $118,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $161,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on Apple in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $370.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.12.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Apple Insider Activity In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $339.62, for a total value of $814,748.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 34,795 shares in the company, valued at $11,817,077.90. The trade was a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance Apple stock opened at $348.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $348.36. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $328.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $309.07. The company has a market cap of $5.08 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

More Apple News Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside. Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns. About Apple (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.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Apple Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Apple Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apple and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Courier Capital LLC cut its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 67,838 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 179,694 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 4.2% of Courier Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $22,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avenir Tech Ltd acquired a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 822.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 260,792 shares during the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at about $118,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at about $161,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $245.00 target price (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.12.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Apple More Apple News Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside. Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns. Apple Trading Up 1.2% Shares of AAPL opened at $348.22 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $328.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $309.07. 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 capitalization of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.42 and a 1-year high of $348.36.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $339.62, for a total transaction of $814,748.38. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 34,795 shares in the company, valued at $11,817,077.90. The trade was a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.05, for a total transaction of $480,309.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,051,831.95. This trade represents a 7.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock valued at $95,477,342 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Apple (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.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Apple Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check

Receive News & Ratings for Apple Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apple and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Karen and Ian preview the launch of Apple's new iPhone Duo, as supply crunches loom.

Apple's Biggest iPhone Gamble In Years Is Paying Off

Summary

Apple’s first foldable iPhone is earning praise for its refined hinge, nearly crease-free display and multitasking features as preorder delays hint at strong early demand

Apple's AAPL first foldable iPhone is earning praise for its refined design and practical features ahead of its Friday, Oct. 23, release, with reviewers describing the device as a polished entry into a market pioneered by Samsung (SSNLF), according to reviews published.

The iPhone Duo opens from a compact handset into a 7.6-inch display, giving users more room for multitasking, messaging and email. Reviewers highlighted its sturdy hinge, comfortable folded design and nanotexture display, which helps make the screen crease less noticeable. The early reception suggests Apple may have found a compelling way to bring its familiar user experience to foldable phones.

Chance Miller of 9to5Mac praised the device's engineering, while WIRED's Julian Chokkattu described Apple's first attempt as more refined than earlier generations of competing foldables. The phone also carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, adding protection to its flexible design.

The roughly $2,000 price and limited app optimization remain considerations, while Touch ID replaces Face ID. Still, strong preorder demand has pushed some delivery estimates to late January, even before broad market availability begins Friday. Apple's entry could expand its presence in premium smartphones and give the company a fresh opportunity to compete with Samsung in foldables.

Disclosures
I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.

Click for the complete disclosure

Apple's first foldable is drawing praise for its hinge, display and software, though its $2,000 price and app compatibility remain concerns. Summary

Reviewers rank the iPhone Duo among the best foldables on the market.

Consumer technology major Apple Inc. (AAPL, Financials) is getting excellent early reviews for its first foldable smartphone ahead of Friday's unveiling.

The iPhone Duo opens to a 7.6-inch display and has been lauded for its small form factor, durable-feeling hinge and near-invisible seam.

Several reviewers stated Apple's initial foray into foldables felt more polished than previous generations of rival foldables. Demand also seems healthy.

Many of the pre-order deliveries have already been pushed back to late January, indicating the early supply is failing to keep up with demand. But there are evident trade-offs to the technology.

Some applications aren't yet optimized for its odd aspect ratio, and the $2,000 price point is much above that of a conventional iPhone. Apple also moved Touch ID to the power button, replacing Face ID, and also removed a separate zoom camera.

Duo provides Apple another premium hardware segment as it grows tougher for investors to push smartphone upgrades.

The second thing to look for is whether strong early demand develops into persistent demand following the original launch window.

Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.

Click for the complete disclosure

DWR Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,457 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,946 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 5.8% of DWR Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. DWR Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $8,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Haven Capital Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the third quarter. Haven Capital Group Inc. now owns 41,123 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,695,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the third quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 233,607 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $77,796,000 after buying an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. Sacks & Associates LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the third quarter worth $448,000. HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 7.3% during the third quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 11,290 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,660,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adirondack Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 2.3% during the third quarter. Adirondack Capital Advisors LLC now owns 9,590 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,194,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $366.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Maxim Group raised their price objective on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Apple Apple Stock Performance Shares of Apple stock opened at $343.99 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $348.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $328.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $308.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insider Transactions at Apple In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total value of $8,460,671.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,832,236.98. This trade represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 284,454 shares of company stock valued at $94,662,594. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Apple News Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple said only limited quantities of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo will be available for walk-in customers when it launches October 23. Online orders reportedly sold out within minutes, with some delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The demand signals support premium pricing and could make the new product a meaningful revenue catalyst. Apple will have limited iPhone Duo units available in stores Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalyst: Apple’s October 28 event is expected to feature new Pro Macs, potentially including a touchscreen MacBook Pro and M6-powered systems. A successful launch could strengthen expectations for renewed Mac growth and broaden Apple’s hardware lineup. Apple product event scheduled for October 28 Positive Sentiment: Expansion and ecosystem support: Apple’s India business reportedly delivered 31% revenue growth and 66% profit growth in fiscal 2026. Separately, Apple Wallet car-key support is expanding to selected General Motors vehicles, extending the reach of Apple’s services ecosystem. Neutral Sentiment: Supply-chain investment: Apple plans to commit up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier over three years. The move may improve domestic sourcing and support iPhone Duo production, but it also highlights manufacturing constraints and does not immediately change earnings expectations. Apple commits to U.S. titanium manufacturing Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: Two Apple insiders sold shares, with at least one transaction identified as covering tax withholding on vested equity awards. The sales are relatively small and do not clearly indicate weakening confidence. Negative Sentiment: Downgrade and valuation concerns: Loop Capital cut AAPL to Hold and lowered its price target to $330, citing weaker iPhone shipment expectations. UBS also warned that rising memory and component costs could pressure gross margins ahead of the November 2 earnings report. With Apple trading at roughly 39 times earnings and near its annual high, investors may demand stronger growth to justify the premium valuation. Loop Capital downgrades Apple on iPhone concerns Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: UK competition regulators are proposing easier access for rival contactless payment services on the iPhone, which could increase competition for Apple Pay and modestly weaken the services ecosystem. About Apple (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.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Apple GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors

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The U.S. is home to the world's leading technology companies, which significantly impact its stock market indexes. Many top companies are justifying their valuation expansions with a long runway of earnings growth.

Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA decreased its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 348,842 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,987 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 7.8% of Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA’s holdings in Apple were worth $115,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages have commented on AAPL. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.12.

Get Our Latest Analysis on AAPL Apple Trading Up 1.3% Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $343.99 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $328.05 and a 200 day moving average of $308.42. The company has a market cap of $5.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $348.15.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

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

Key Apple News Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple said only limited quantities of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo will be available for walk-in customers when it launches October 23. Online orders reportedly sold out within minutes, with some delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The demand signals support premium pricing and could make the new product a meaningful revenue catalyst. Apple will have limited iPhone Duo units available in stores Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalyst: Apple’s October 28 event is expected to feature new Pro Macs, potentially including a touchscreen MacBook Pro and M6-powered systems. A successful launch could strengthen expectations for renewed Mac growth and broaden Apple’s hardware lineup. Apple product event scheduled for October 28 Positive Sentiment: Expansion and ecosystem support: Apple’s India business reportedly delivered 31% revenue growth and 66% profit growth in fiscal 2026. Separately, Apple Wallet car-key support is expanding to selected General Motors vehicles, extending the reach of Apple’s services ecosystem. Neutral Sentiment: Supply-chain investment: Apple plans to commit up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier over three years. The move may improve domestic sourcing and support iPhone Duo production, but it also highlights manufacturing constraints and does not immediately change earnings expectations. Apple commits to U.S. titanium manufacturing Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: Two Apple insiders sold shares, with at least one transaction identified as covering tax withholding on vested equity awards. The sales are relatively small and do not clearly indicate weakening confidence. Negative Sentiment: Downgrade and valuation concerns: Loop Capital cut AAPL to Hold and lowered its price target to $330, citing weaker iPhone shipment expectations. UBS also warned that rising memory and component costs could pressure gross margins ahead of the November 2 earnings report. With Apple trading at roughly 39 times earnings and near its annual high, investors may demand stronger growth to justify the premium valuation. Loop Capital downgrades Apple on iPhone concerns Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: UK competition regulators are proposing easier access for rival contactless payment services on the iPhone, which could increase competition for Apple Pay and modestly weaken the services ecosystem. Insider Activity In other news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total value of $8,460,671.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,832,236.98. This represents a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Timothy D. Cook sold 191,753 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the sale, the insider owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. The trade was a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 284,454 shares of company stock valued at $94,662,594. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Company Profile (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.

Read More Five stocks we like better than Apple GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report).

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Epic Games said ​on Wednesday ‌that its popular shooter ​title "Fortnite" ​will return to Apple's (AAPL.O) ⁠App ​Store in ​Australia on Thursday, after the ​country's federal ​court found the ‌iPhone ⁠maker violated competition law and ​ordered ​it ⁠to open up ​its iOS ​operating ⁠system.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2026) - Railtown AI Technologies Inc. (CSE: RAIL) (OTCQB: RLAIF) ("Railtown" or the "Company") today announced the open-source release of its Railtracks Swift Agent Development Kit (ADK), making its native Swift framework for developing intelligent AI agents publicly available on GitHub under the permissive MIT license.

The release builds on Railtown's existing open-source Railtracks framework for Python, extending the Company's developer ecosystem into Apple's native development environment and providing Swift developers with tools to build intelligent, agentic applications.

The initiative is part of Railtown's broader strategy to encourage adoption of its AI development technologies by removing barriers to entry, supporting community-driven innovation and introducing developers to the Company's expanding technology ecosystem.

While Railtracks ADK is available as an open-source development framework, Railtown's commercial Conductr platform provides complementary infrastructure for deploying, managing, orchestrating and observing AI agents in production environments.

The Company believes this combination of open-source development tools and commercial production infrastructure creates opportunities to expand its developer community while establishing pathways for future platform adoption and usage-based revenue.

Building Trust Through Open Source
As AI agents become increasingly capable of interacting with personal information, enterprise systems and digital services, trust, transparency and security are becoming essential considerations for developers and organizations.

Open-source development allows developers, researchers and security professionals to inspect, evaluate and contribute to underlying technologies, supporting independent scrutiny, community collaboration and continuous improvement.

By releasing Railtracks Swift ADK under the MIT license, Railtown enables developers to use, modify and distribute the framework, including within commercial applications, without requiring a commercial license from Railtown.

The Company believes this openness is particularly valuable for agentic applications, where developers must understand how intelligent systems interact with data, invoke tools and execute actions.

"We believe the future of software is agentic, and that future must be built on trust, transparency and collaboration," said Marwan Haddad, CTO and Co-Founder of Railtown AI. "Open source is fundamental to that vision. By making Railtracks available to both Python and Swift developers, we're inviting the global developer community to contribute, innovate and help shape the technologies that will power the next generation of intelligent applications."

Empowering Developers Across Apple's Ecosystem
Railtracks Swift ADK provides a native Swift framework designed to simplify the development of intelligent AI agents across supported Apple platforms.

The framework supports agent reasoning, tool invocation, structured outputs, multi-agent orchestration, execution tracing and configurable guardrails.

Developers can work with multiple AI model providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Google Gemini, while also accessing supported on-device Apple Intelligence capabilities on compatible devices and operating systems.

This flexibility allows developers to select AI technologies appropriate to their applications while working within a native Swift development environment.

Railtown believes Apple's integrated hardware, software and privacy architecture provides an attractive foundation for the next generation of intelligent applications.

By making Railtracks Swift ADK openly available, the Company aims to encourage experimentation, accelerate developer participation and support innovation in agentic applications across Apple's ecosystem.

Connecting Open-Source Adoption to Commercial Platform Opportunities
Railtown's open-source strategy is designed to complement the commercialization of its Conductr platform.

Through Railtracks, developers can build and experiment with intelligent agents using freely available development tools. As those applications evolve toward production use, developers and organizations may require additional infrastructure for deployment, orchestration, monitoring, security and operational management.

Conductr is designed to address these requirements by providing a commercial environment for operating AI agents and applications.

Under this approach, Railtown aims to establish a developer-to-platform adoption pathway in which open-source tools help attract developers to its technology ecosystem, while Conductr provides optional commercial services as applications move into production.

The Company believes broader developer participation may create opportunities for recurring and consumption-based revenue through the use of Conductr's commercial platform capabilities.
Importantly, developers are not required to use Conductr to develop applications with the open-source Railtracks Swift ADK.

This separation between open-source development and optional commercial infrastructure is intended to preserve developer flexibility while allowing Railtown to participate commercially when developers and enterprises require additional production capabilities.

"Open-sourcing Railtracks is a deliberate part of our long-term platform strategy," said Cory Brandolini, CEO of Railtown AI. "We believe that removing barriers for developers is one of the most effective ways to encourage innovation and expand participation in the AI ecosystem.

"By making Railtracks available to Python and Swift developers, we're expanding the number of developers who can engage with our technologies. As their applications grow, Conductr provides a commercial pathway through deployment, orchestration, observability and ongoing platform consumption. We believe this approach aligns developer freedom with Railtown's objective of building a scalable, commercially sustainable AI platform business."

Open Innovation Meets Enterprise Accountability
While open-source frameworks can accelerate innovation and lower development barriers, organizations deploying AI agents into business-critical environments must also address reliability, governance, operational visibility and security.

Railtown's broader technology ecosystem is designed to support this transition from development to production.

Through its Railtracks development frameworks and Conductr platform, the Company seeks to provide developers and organizations with complementary capabilities for creating, deploying and operating intelligent applications.

"Open source accelerates innovation, but enterprises also need confidence in how intelligent systems operate," added Haddad. "Our vision is to support both: an open foundation that empowers developers and commercial infrastructure that helps organizations deploy and manage agents responsibly."
The Company believes this combination can help organizations adopt agentic technologies while addressing the practical requirements of production software.

Advancing Railtown's Developer Ecosystem Strategy
Railtown believes agentic computing represents a significant evolution in software development, as applications increasingly incorporate intelligent agents capable of interpreting user intent, coordinating workflows and performing tasks.

The Company intends to continue supporting open-source development and community participation as part of its broader technology and commercialization strategy.

With Railtracks now available in Python and Swift, Railtown is expanding the accessibility of its development technologies across two widely used programming ecosystems.

The Company believes this approach can support greater developer engagement, encourage additional applications and integrations, and increase awareness of Conductr's commercial platform capabilities.
While the commercial impact of the initiative will depend on developer adoption, production deployment requirements and customer utilization, Railtown believes open-source participation can provide an additional channel for introducing developers and organizations to its technology ecosystem.
Through this strategy, Railtown aims to combine open innovation with commercial infrastructure, supporting developers from initial experimentation through the deployment and operation of intelligent applications.

Railtracks Swift ADK is publicly available on GitHub under the MIT license at:
https://github.com/RailtownAI/Railtracks-swift

About Railtown AI Technologies Inc.

Railtown AI Technologies Inc. is a technology company developing AI-powered platforms and solutions designed to simplify the development, deployment and operation of intelligent applications.
Through its Conductr platform, Railtracks Agent Development Kit and Railengine data infrastructure, Railtown provides developers and organizations with tools to build, connect, deploy and monitor AI agents and applications.

For more information, visit www.railtown.ai.

www.railtracks.org
www.railengine.ai
www.conductr.ai

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ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Cory Brandolini"
Cory Brandolini, Chief Executive Officer

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will," "may", "should", "intends", "anticipates", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company, the commencement of trading of the Company's common shares on the CSE, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators.

Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. As a result, the Company cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, and readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will only update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/320104

Source: Railtown AI Technologies Inc.

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Friday Financial lifted its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,653 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,250 shares during the period. Apple makes up 1.6% of Friday Financial’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Friday Financial’s holdings in Apple were worth $8,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. ANB Bank boosted its stake in Apple by 17.8% during the third quarter. ANB Bank now owns 44,670 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $14,442,000 after buying an additional 6,737 shares in the last quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. increased its stake in Apple by 4.7% in the third quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 16,561 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,472,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the period. Freestate Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Freestate Advisors LLC now owns 4,505 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,500,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC raised its stake in Apple by 50.1% during the third quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 36,018 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $11,309,000 after acquiring an additional 12,027 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC now owns 57,932 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $18,584,000 after purchasing an additional 11,885 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Maxim Group lifted their price objective on Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Apple from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.12.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on Apple Apple Stock Performance AAPL stock opened at $339.50 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $327.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.80. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.42 and a fifty-two week high of $348.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insider Transactions at Apple In related news, insider Timothy D. Cook sold 191,753 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total value of $63,846,078.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares in the company, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. This trade represents a 5.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders sold 284,454 shares of company stock worth $94,662,594. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone reportedly generated extraordinary preorders, with delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The response supports premium pricing and suggests the new product could become a meaningful growth catalyst. Apple’s $1,999 foldable phone is set to hit stores Friday Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Mac launch: Apple scheduled its “Pro and Tell” event for October 28, where analysts expect new Macs and potentially the company’s first touchscreen MacBook. The event could provide a near-term catalyst and demonstrate momentum under CEO John Ternus. Apple announces product launch event for Oct. 28 Positive Sentiment: Supply-chain and ecosystem investments: Apple committed up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier to support iPhone production. Apple Wallet car-key support is also expanding to select General Motors vehicles, strengthening the company’s hardware and services ecosystem. Apple commits up to $100 million for U.S. titanium Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst outlook: Bank of America and JPMorgan maintained bullish ratings, citing iPhone Duo demand and long-term AI potential, while other analysts have become more cautious. Negative Sentiment: Downgrades and demand concerns: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold and cut its price target from $370 to $330, citing risks that iPhone shipments may not recover as expected. KeyBanc also flagged weaker upgrade intentions among consumers. Apple gets a downgrade from Loop Capital on fears of slow iPhone sales Negative Sentiment: Margin and valuation risk: UBS expects higher memory and component costs to pressure gross margins while iPhone growth slows. With Apple trading at a premium earnings multiple, investors may require stronger earnings or a new catalyst to support further gains. Apple faces gross margin pressure as UBS flags slowing iPhone growth Apple Company Profile (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.

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Gilpin Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,261 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,675 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 3.1% of Gilpin Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $4,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avenir Tech Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. ABS Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $376,168,000. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY bought a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $118,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Apple In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. This represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. This trade represents a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 284,454 shares of company stock worth $94,662,594 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms have issued reports on AAPL. Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 target price on Apple and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Arete Research upped their price target on shares of Apple from $305.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Maxim Group increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.12. Get Our Latest Report on AAPL

Key Headlines Impacting Apple Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone reportedly generated extraordinary preorders, with delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The response supports premium pricing and suggests the new product could become a meaningful growth catalyst. Apple’s $1,999 foldable phone is set to hit stores Friday Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Mac launch: Apple scheduled its “Pro and Tell” event for October 28, where analysts expect new Macs and potentially the company’s first touchscreen MacBook. The event could provide a near-term catalyst and demonstrate momentum under CEO John Ternus. Apple announces product launch event for Oct. 28 Positive Sentiment: Supply-chain and ecosystem investments: Apple committed up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier to support iPhone production. Apple Wallet car-key support is also expanding to select General Motors vehicles, strengthening the company’s hardware and services ecosystem. Apple commits up to $100 million for U.S. titanium Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst outlook: Bank of America and JPMorgan maintained bullish ratings, citing iPhone Duo demand and long-term AI potential, while other analysts have become more cautious. Negative Sentiment: Downgrades and demand concerns: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold and cut its price target from $370 to $330, citing risks that iPhone shipments may not recover as expected. KeyBanc also flagged weaker upgrade intentions among consumers. Apple gets a downgrade from Loop Capital on fears of slow iPhone sales Negative Sentiment: Margin and valuation risk: UBS expects higher memory and component costs to pressure gross margins while iPhone growth slows. With Apple trading at a premium earnings multiple, investors may require stronger earnings or a new catalyst to support further gains. Apple faces gross margin pressure as UBS flags slowing iPhone growth Apple Trading Down 1.0% NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $339.50 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $348.15. The stock has a market cap of $4.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.93, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average of $327.22 and a 200-day moving average of $307.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Apple Company Profile (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.

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Oak Grove Capital LLC boosted its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 95,627 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,249 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 1.4% of Oak Grove Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Oak Grove Capital LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $31,846,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 630,662,494 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $182,897,769,000 after purchasing an additional 28,321,085 shares during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at $30,443,242,000. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Apple by 23.2% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $18,547,637,000 after buying an additional 13,780,080 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $339.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $327.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $307.80. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.42 and a twelve month high of $348.15.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year. Apple Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. KeyCorp restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Citic Securities boosted their price objective on Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.12.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Apple

Trending Headlines about Apple Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand: Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone reportedly generated extraordinary preorders, with delivery estimates extending into January 2027. The response supports premium pricing and suggests the new product could become a meaningful growth catalyst. Apple’s $1,999 foldable phone is set to hit stores Friday Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Mac launch: Apple scheduled its “Pro and Tell” event for October 28, where analysts expect new Macs and potentially the company’s first touchscreen MacBook. The event could provide a near-term catalyst and demonstrate momentum under CEO John Ternus. Apple announces product launch event for Oct. 28 Positive Sentiment: Supply-chain and ecosystem investments: Apple committed up to $100 million to a U.S. titanium supplier to support iPhone production. Apple Wallet car-key support is also expanding to select General Motors vehicles, strengthening the company’s hardware and services ecosystem. Apple commits up to $100 million for U.S. titanium Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst outlook: Bank of America and JPMorgan maintained bullish ratings, citing iPhone Duo demand and long-term AI potential, while other analysts have become more cautious. Negative Sentiment: Downgrades and demand concerns: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold and cut its price target from $370 to $330, citing risks that iPhone shipments may not recover as expected. KeyBanc also flagged weaker upgrade intentions among consumers. Apple gets a downgrade from Loop Capital on fears of slow iPhone sales Negative Sentiment: Margin and valuation risk: UBS expects higher memory and component costs to pressure gross margins while iPhone growth slows. With Apple trading at a premium earnings multiple, investors may require stronger earnings or a new catalyst to support further gains. Apple faces gross margin pressure as UBS flags slowing iPhone growth Insider Buying and Selling at Apple In other news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Timothy D. Cook sold 191,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.96, for a total transaction of $63,846,078.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,264,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,086,837,377.28. This trade represents a 5.55% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders have sold 284,454 shares of company stock valued at $94,662,594 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Company Profile (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.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Apple Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge

Receive News & Ratings for Apple Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apple and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Apple (AAPL -1.00%) stock has been a winner for investors over the years, but in the earliest days of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, it hasn't been the most sought-after investment. The company took its time adding AI features to its devices, so it wasn't seen as a top AI stock.

But this year, as investors began to worry about companies that rely heavily on AI for growth, they returned to Apple. In fact, with a 26% gain so far this year, Apple is the best performer among the "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks that have pushed the S&P 500 higher in recent years.

Now, my prediction is that this solid performance isn't over, and Apple will soar after a key moment on Oct. 28. Let's find out more.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Apple's approach to AIFirst, let's take a step back and consider Apple's recent past. As mentioned, while other tech players heavily developed and used AI in the earlier stages of the boom, Apple took a slower approach. The company first launched its AI platform, Apple Intelligence, two years ago and progressively rolled out features across the iPhone and its other devices.

Investors, eager to get in on AI in a big way, opted for other tech companies such as Nvidia, an AI chip leader, and Alphabet, a user and developer of AI products and services. Though Apple stock has advanced in recent years, it's lagged many other tech players.

AAPL data by YCharts

Apple also faced some headwinds amid concerns about import tariffs on its products as it manufactures heavily abroad. (The company has since negotiated with the U.S. government, winning certain exemptions as it's pledged to increase the manufacturing of certain elements -- like the glass cover for the iPhone -- in the U.S.)

Today, however, investors' attention has shifted. Many are concerned that companies heavily dependent on AI may suffer amid any potential slowdown, and so they've looked to get in on a broader range of tech companies. Enter Apple. The company offers a solid moat, or competitive advantage, that may keep revenue marching higher over time -- this is its brand strength -- along with a fantastic earnings track record.

John Ternus becomes Apple CEOOn top of this, Apple may be entering a new phase of growth with the appointment of new chief John Ternus. Tim Cook, after 15 years at the helm, became executive chairman of the board of directors and handed over the CEO role on Sept. 1. Cook's tenure was a successful one, with the launch of new products such as the Apple Watch and as he helped revenue and market value to climb.

AAPL Revenue (Annual) data by YCharts

Right now, though, the new leadership may spark some excitement among investors, considering Ternus' strengths in product development. Prior to taking over leadership, he was Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering.

AAPL Apple$339.50-$3.44 (-1.00%)

NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/20/26

And this brings me to the subject of Oct. 28. Apple is planning a product launch event, and analysts predict the company will release new Macs, including Apple's first-ever touchscreen laptop.

Ternus already announced another big product, Apple's first foldable iPhone, just weeks ago. All of this signals that an important phase of new product development and release may be in the cards for Apple in the quarters and years to come. Investors look to Apple for innovation, and as I mentioned earlier, Apple's brand strength is its competitive advantage. So any new products that may win customer loyalty might be key to future growth.

Investors might like this combination of fresh growth potential along with the company's well-established and reliable revenue streams.

It's true that Apple isn't the cheapest of stocks right now. It trades at 35x forward earnings estimates, while most of the "Magnificent Seven" players trade between 23x and 31x forward earnings estimates. This may prompt some investors to think twice before rushing into the stock.

That said, I expect optimism to outweigh hesitation, and that's why my prediction is Apple stock will soar after Oct. 28.

Apple (AAPL - Free Report) closed at $339.50 in the latest trading session, marking a -1% move from the prior day. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.28% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 1.02%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 0.02%.

The maker of iPhones, iPads and other products's stock has climbed by 1.17% in the past month, exceeding the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 2.28% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.67%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Apple in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on November 2, 2026. On that day, Apple is projected to report earnings of $2 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 8.11%. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $113.01 billion, reflecting a 10.29% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $8.86 per share and a revenue of $477.39 billion, signifying shifts of +18.77% and +14.71%, respectively, from the last year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Apple. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.57% higher. Right now, Apple possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In the context of valuation, Apple is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 35.77. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 17.45.

Meanwhile, AAPL's PEG ratio is currently 2.72. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. AAPL's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.57 as of yesterday's close.

The Computer - Micro Computers industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 22, positioning it in the top 9% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.

Apple (AAPL -1.00%) stock has had a phenomenal year, up about 26% while the S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.28%) is up around 12%. That's solid outperformance and impressive, considering that Apple really doesn't have much in the way of artificial intelligence tailwinds, unlike some of its big tech peers.

However, great stock performance doesn't always equate to strong business performance in the short term. It usually does over the long term. The reality is that some of the stock's gains to date may prove in vain, as Apple hasn't done enough to sustain these returns over the long term.

In fact, I think a reality check could be coming shortly as Apple reports Q1 fiscal year 2027 results on Nov. 2. December-quarter guidance will be the first look at how much of the memory cost increase Apple is absorbing. 

November's correction could come as a shock to some investors, but those paying attention know how difficult Apple's business environment is getting.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Apple has become a safe haven for AI investors Not everyone is sold on the notion that AI is the future. Many investors believe the big tech companies are investing far too much capital in this technology and would rather back a company that's taking a more modest approach, like Apple.

Instead of spending hundreds of billions on AI computing equipment, it's choosing to use Alphabet's Google Gemini as its base model and pay a fee each time it uses it. Over the long term, this could prove a bad decision, but with AI not making these companies a ton of money right now, it looks prudent in the short term.

As a result of Apple not investing heavily in AI, it has attracted many investors, as it is viewed as a non-AI investment compared with its peers. This has caused its stock price to swell during 2026, and its valuation has followed suit. Apple now trades at some of its highest valuations seen in the past decade.

AAPL PE Ratio data by YCharts

Now, if Apple had returned to its previous valuation highs, posting jaw-dropping growth and excellent results, I would think differently. And while it's true Apple's results have been improving (its Q4 FY 2026 growth rate was 16%, the best since 2021), it's still nothing compared to what some of its peers are delivering.

Take AI powerhouse Nvidia (NVDA -0.29%), for example. Nvidia trades at a mere 27 times trailing earnings and is growing revenue at 106%. Furthermore, management estimates next year's revenue growth to be 70%. It's hard to convince me that a stock like Apple should be valued at a premium to that growth, but that's the case.

The bearish outlook on AI has gotten a bit out of hand in the market, and it could contribute to Apple's stock selling off in the last quarter of 2026 if investors rotate back into AI stocks. But there's also another issue for Apple unfolding.

Apple's margins could come under pressure One of the biggest stories in the tech world during 2026 was the spring's memory chip price surge. Every company, from Nvidia to Apple, is facing the same problem, which is causing Apple to pay more for memory chips used in its devices. Apple has two choices: Raise prices or eat the cost. While Apple has marginally raised prices on some of its products, it may ultimately have to eat the costs of rising chip prices, which could harm margins.

AAPL Apple$339.50-$3.44 (-1.00%)

NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/20/26

Slimmer margins will exaggerate Apple's valuation and make it look even more expensive than it already is. Prior to departing from his CEO role, Tim Cook called this a 100-year flood for memory chip prices.  

One of the largest memory chip suppliers in the industry, Micron Technology (MU -0.98%), told investors that memory market conditions will worsen in 2027 and 2028 compared to 2026. That doesn't bode well for Apple's future and could spur a sell-off in Apple's stock.

Apple, as a company, faces many factors it can't control. Regardless, I think there are far better investments out there, and now may be the time to take some gains and roll into some beaten-down alternative AI stocks.