Orin
AAPLNasdaq·Consumer Electronics

Apple Inc. AAPL

Market cap $4.94TP/E 38.5× trailingGross margin 48.7%Reports Thu 29 Oct, after the close
$337.02
−2.73 (−0.80%)Wed close 16:00 ET
52-wk $243.42 – $345.34
Watch
Orin's take
0.72conviction · high
Refreshed 17 Aug · take v7. A new filing or a print queues the next refresh.

Apple's FY2025 results (ended 2025-09-27) show genuine operational improvement—revenue grew 6.4% to $416.2B, EPS jumped 22.7% to $7.46, and operating margin expanded to 32.0%—but the stock at $305.59 trades at 34.9x trailing P/E, a 35.3% premium to the peer median of 25.8x, and EV/EBITDA 48.9% above peers, leaving little room for error. Technicals have deteriorated with the price below its 50-day MA ($309.08), a bearish MACD histogram of -2.29, and RSI at 43.4, while insiders remain net sellers at -$349M over 24 months.

Smart money turned positive (score 2.89 as of Q2 2026) and the 200-day MA at $280.67 provides a floor, but the combination of stretched valuation, weakening near-term momentum, and a fresh German regulatory overhang on app data consent keeps the risk/reward balanced rather than compelling.

What could go wrong

  • Valuation compression. At 34.9x P/E and 26.9x EV/EBITDA—35% and 49% above peer medians respectively—any growth disappointment could trigger a sharp de-rating with limited margin of safety.
  • Regulatory pressure. Germany's competition authority forced Apple to change app data consent rules (announced 2026-08-17), which could constrain advertising-related services revenue and set a precedent for broader EU action.
  • Insider selling persistence. Insiders have net sold 894,613 shares worth $349M over 24 months, with the most recent sale on 2026-08-11 by SVP Newstead at $307.75, signaling limited internal confidence at these levels.
  • Technical breakdown. Stock is below its 50-day MA ($309.08) with a deeply negative MACD histogram (-2.29); a break below the 200-day MA ($280.67) could accelerate selling.

What would change my mind

Margin/Services acceleration. FY2026 Q3 or Q4 results show services revenue growth accelerating above prior trends with gross margin exceeding 47%bullish
Valuation re-rating toward peers. P/E compresses toward the peer median of 25.8x either via price correction or EPS outgrowth, improving relative valuebullish
Break below 200-day MA. Stock closes below $280.67 on meaningful volume, confirming a technical trend reversalbearish
Escalating EU regulatory action. Additional European regulators or the EU Commission impose binding remedies on App Store monetization or data practicesbearish

Where this comes from: FMP annual fundamentals, fiscal year ended 2025-09-27; derived_metrics · peer_relative composite · technicals as of 2026-08-17 · insider summary and transactions. Orin's read on AAPL; not advice.

Twelve months actual closes to 2026-09-23 · actual filings

Sept 25Nov 25Jan 26Mar 26May 26Jul 26

50-day average 200-day average · volume below

Largest holders · 13F Q2 2026

Money flow
FilerPositionOf fund
Vanguard Capital Management$277.5B5.9% of fund
State Street$178.0B5.3% of fund
Geode Capital Management$107.2B5.7% of fund
Vanguard Portfolio Management$96.7B4.4% of fund
Fmr$94.1B4.1% of fund
Morgan Stanley$70.2B3.7% of fund

256 filers · quarter ended Q2 2026 · positions, not flows

Insiders, last 24 months: 174 Form 4 filings, net −$356.6M. Of the 50 on hand, 0 were open-market purchases and 17 sales— the rest are grants, option exercises and tax withholding.

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Where it trades

vs its own 5y · Technology
MetricNowOwn medianSector
P/E38.5×27.8×53.3×
EV/EBITDA29.6×21.6×
P/S10.60×7.03×
P/B46.1×48.1×

Its P/E sits above all 5 of the last 5 years (+1.73σ from its own mean).

What the price assumes

20.2%

free-cash-flow growth every year for 10 years, discounted at 10%, is what today’s price implies — starting from $98.8B of trailing free cash flow. It is an assumption the market is making, not a forecast Orin is making.

What Wall Street published

112 firms · 2026-09-23
Consensus target

$342

$245$400 · +2% against today's price

How they rate it
  • 71 buy or overweight
  • 32 hold
  • 9 underweight or sell

The analysts’ consensus and their own ratings, not Orin’s. A target is a twelve-month opinion published by the firm that wrote it.

Against the companies it is compared to

median P/E 27.7× of 6 peers
CompanyMarket capP/EEV/EBITDAGrossNetROE
AAPLApple Inc.$4.95T38.5×29.6×48.7%27.6%137%
GOOGLAlphabet Inc.$4.09T16.6×12.7×60.9%54.8%51%
METAMeta Platforms, Inc.$1.90T27.7×18.6×81.7%29.8%30%
MSFTMicrosoft Corporation$3.72T27.8×18.4×67.9%40.3%33%
NVDANVIDIA Corporation$5.47T28.4×23.5×74.7%63.7%110%
NXTNextpower Inc.$12B20.6×15.0×33.4%16.4%26%
TSMTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited$2.32T29.0×19.2×64.2%50.4%39%

The median is of the 6 peers listed above and nothing else — check it against the column. This company trades 38.7% above it. The peer set is the vendor’s, so a company can appear here that a person would not have chosen.

What it has traded at

P/E by fiscal year
FY14 15.5×FY25 34.1×

What its sector has traded at

Technology
FY14 9.0×FY26 48.0×

Two scales, drawn separately on purpose: a sector median and one company’s multiple are not the same number and putting them on one axis invites a comparison neither series supports.

Discounted cash flow

not recomputed since
ModelFair valueAgainstComputed
Standard DCF$152$291.94 · −48%2026-06-10
Levered DCF$146$291.94 · −50%2026-06-10

The vendor’s intrinsic-value models. Treat them as a low-growth anchor — for a fast grower the market routinely pays well above a DCF. These were computed against the price in the “against” column, not today’s.

Every estimate on one scale

price $337.02
52-week range$243 – $345
Analyst targets$245 – $400
Standard DCF$152 as of 2026-06-10, when it was $291.94
Levered DCF$146 as of 2026-06-10, when it was $291.94
At own 5y-median P/E (28×)$243
At 5y P/E range (24–37×)$214 – $327
At sector P/E (53×)$467

The vertical rule is the current price. Ranges and point estimates are the backend’s, published as they were calculated; an arrow means the estimate sits beyond this scale, and its number is on the right.