Apple Inc. advanced in morning trading, rising 2.4% to $329.39 from a prior close of $321.66 as investors reacted to a series of company-specific developments and a higher analyst price target.
On July 23, Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring increased his price target for Apple from $360 to $364 and reiterated an "Overweight" rating. Woodring expects the company’s fiscal third-quarter 2026 results, scheduled for release on July 30, to come in modestly ahead of consensus, which calls for earnings per share of $1.88 and revenues near $108.9 billion.
Market participants also cited several corporate moves that helped bolster sentiment. Apple completed regulatory registration in China for its Apple Intelligence platform, and announced partnerships to localize AI capabilities there using Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen model and Baidu. Those approvals and collaborations are aimed at delivering localized AI features across iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS for Chinese users, addressing a previously noted gap in the company’s AI rollout in its largest overseas market.
In product and monetization developments, Apple is preparing to introduce "Apple Upgrade," a device leasing program supported by Klarna, with a planned launch on July 28. The program will cover most iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch models and represents a material change in how the company offers and monetizes hardware to customers.
Apple’s footprint in automotive navigation also broadened this week after Ford confirmed that Apple Maps will be integrated into its upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle Platform. The move was cited by investors as another indication of the reach of Apple’s services and software offerings beyond its own devices.
These company-specific catalysts came against a weaker technology sector: the Nasdaq fell about 0.8% during the session, reflecting continued pressure on mega-cap tech stocks following sizable declines in some peers the prior day, including Tesla and Alphabet, which had been hit by earnings shortfalls and regulatory penalties respectively. Apple’s gain while the broader tech index slipped highlighted the stock’s relative resilience as investors favored names with cleaner near-term earnings profiles.
The combination of Morgan Stanley’s target increase, the China AI registration, the Klarna-backed leasing initiative and the Ford Maps partnership helped propel Apple stock closer to its 52-week high of $334.99 as the market heads into the company’s upcoming earnings report.
Key developments:
- Morgan Stanley raised Apple’s price target to $364 and maintained an Overweight rating.
- Apple completed regulatory registration for Apple Intelligence in China, partnering with Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen model and Baidu to localize AI across its operating systems.
- Apple plans to launch Apple Upgrade, a Klarna-backed device leasing program, on July 28 covering most iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch models.
- Ford confirmed Apple Maps will be embedded in its upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle Platform.