Apple stock surges 3% on analyst upgrades and bullish notes

Apple stock is surging today, February 2, 2026, rising approximately 3% in midday trading amid renewed bullish sentiment from Wall Street analysts following the company’s blockbuster fiscal Q1 2026 earnings.

As of around 2:00 PM EST, AAPL was trading at $266.98–$267.02, up roughly $7.50 from Friday’s close of $259.48. The stock opened near $260, dipped to a low of about $259.20, and climbed to a high of $267.14, with trading volume surpassing 35 million shares. This move extends the positive momentum from late January’s earnings release, where Apple reported record revenue of $143.8 billion (up 16% year-over-year) and EPS of $2.84, driven by “staggering” demand for the iPhone 17 lineup, which generated a record $85.3 billion in revenue (up 23%).

Analyst upgrades and price target increases have fueled today’s gains, as firms reassess Apple’s outlook amid strong iPhone momentum, a China rebound, and AI ecosystem potential despite some margin pressures from rising memory costs.

• Wedbush’s Dan Ives maintained an Outperform rating and holds a high price target of $350, emphasizing Apple’s AI catalysts and ecosystem strength.

• JPMorgan’s Samik Chatterjee maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $315 to $325, citing resilient margins and favorable supplier contracts.

• Goldman Sachs’ Michael Ng maintained a Buy rating and lifted the target from $320 to $330.

• Bernstein SocGen reiterated Outperform with a $325 target, aligning with Apple’s guided 13–16% revenue growth for fiscal Q2.

• BofA Securities reiterated Buy at $325, highlighting solid App Store momentum.

• Phillip Securities Research’s Helena Wang upgraded from Reduce to Hold (Neutral) with a $260 target, noting improved fundamentals but caution on valuation and memory cost headwinds.

• Rosenblatt’s Barton Crockett maintained Neutral but raised the target from $250 to $267.

Analyst quotes underscore the optimism:

• Wedbush’s Dan Ives has described 2026 as potentially “the year that Apple finally breaks out” on AI and iPhone cycles.

• In post-earnings commentary, analysts like those at TipRanks highlighted the “powerful iPhone 17 cycle” and “sharp rebound in China,” with one noting Apple’s fastest revenue growth in four years.

• JPMorgan emphasized that higher memory costs are unlikely to significantly hurt margins due to long-term supplier agreements.

• Overall Wall Street consensus remains Moderate Buy, with average price targets around $287–$305, implying 8–15% upside from recent levels.

While some concerns linger around supply constraints (e.g., advanced-node chips and NAND pricing) and regulatory scrutiny, today’s rally reflects investor confidence in Apple’s ability to capitalize on iPhone reacceleration, Apple Intelligence features, and a massive 2.5+ billion active device base.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this Groundhog Day and predicted six more weeks of winter, but when he peeked at AAPL’s chart, he saw Apple’s stock popping, surging over 2.8% to around $267. No shadow of doubt, looks like an early spring rally for AAPL shareholders!

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Source link: https://macdailynews.com/2026/02/02/apple-stock-surges-3-on-analyst-upgrades-and-bullish-notes/