Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Down 1.6% – Here’s What Happened

27 Mar 2026, 21:34 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) were down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $248.07 and last traded at $248.80. Approximately 46,622,149 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 48,109,605 shares. The stock had previously closed at $252.89.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

Positive Sentiment: Apple hired Lilian Rincon, an ex-Google executive, as VP of product marketing for AI — a direct hire to strengthen Siri/AI positioning and marketing ahead of iOS 27 and WWDC. Apple hires ex-Google executive to head AI marketing amid push to improve Siri
Positive Sentiment: Apple plans to open Siri to rival AI assistants (Gemini, Claude, others) in iOS 27 — a platform play that could broaden iPhone AI utility without betting solely on in‑house models. Apple plans to open Siri to rival AI services, Bloomberg News reports
Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reiterated an outperform rating and set a $350 price target, citing iPhone Fold, AI integration and strong earnings — a bullish signal that implies substantial upside from current levels. Wedbush Analysts See 38% Rally Ahead for Apple (AAPL) Stock with $350 Price Target
Positive Sentiment: Apple expanded its American Manufacturing Program, adding Bosch, Cirrus Logic, TDK and Qnity and committing $400M through 2030 — strengthens domestic supply chain and reduces geopolitical risk. Apple adds Bosch, Cirrus Logic, others to US manufacturing program, to invest $400 million
Positive Sentiment: Services revenue momentum remains strong (streaming, sports deals, Apple Arcade), with Services up ~14% y/y — supports high-margin revenue growth. Strong Streaming & Game Content Aids Apple’s Services: What’s Ahead?
Positive Sentiment: Apple granted six‑figure stock bonuses to key iPhone designers to curb talent losses to AI firms — a retention move to protect future product cadence. Apple Drops Six Figure Bonuses To Stop iPhone Talent Exodus
Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly trimmed FY2027 EPS estimates (minimal change) — not a material revision but worth noting for consensus tracking. Research note: Erste trims FY2027 EPS view
Neutral Sentiment: Apple is introducing age verification for some iPhone services in the UK — a regulatory/feature change that may affect user experience and compliance costs. Apple Brings Age Verification to iPhones in the UK
Negative Sentiment: Reports claim Apple has discontinued the Mac Pro and abandoned future updates — could concern pro customers and weigh on Mac hardware sentiment. Apple reportedly discontinues Mac Pro, abandons plans for future updates
Negative Sentiment: Broader tech weakness and sector rotation are pressuring megacap names, which likely contributes to AAPL drifting down despite company-specific positives. Sector Update: Tech Stocks Fall

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on AAPL. Moffett Nathanson boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Phillip Securities raised Apple from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Scotiabank set a $330.00 price target on Apple in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.58.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Apple

Apple Trading Down 1.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50-day moving average is $260.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $262.40. The firm has a market cap of $3.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Monarch Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Apple by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,967 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,740,000 after buying an additional 2,920 shares during the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC grew its position in Apple by 17.9% in the second quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC grew its position in Apple by 2.2% in the third quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 397,834 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $101,301,000 after acquiring an additional 8,446 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in Apple by 48.4% during the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 1,426,605 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $363,256,000 after acquiring an additional 465,393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tufton Capital Management raised its stake in Apple by 4.3% during the third quarter. Tufton Capital Management now owns 100,130 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $25,496,000 after acquiring an additional 4,157 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple’s principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.