Apple Stock: Buy, Sell or Hold After 9% Drop in 2026 & New BofA Target?

Apple Inc. (AAPL) shares plunged nearly 9% in 2026, triggering urgent investor debate over whether to buy, sell, or hold. The stock now trades around $251.49, as Bank of America trimmed its price target to $320 from $325, citing a staggered product launch, while maintaining a buy rating and a Wall Street consensus points to a potential 22.85% upside.

The Apple stock buy rating across the board stands at “Moderate Buy” — 14 Buy, 9 Hold, 1 Sell — and the Apple stock forecast for 2026 points well above current levels. The short answer on whether to buy, sell, or hold Apple stock right now: buy.

Apple Stock Price Today, Forecast & Buy Rating

What History Says About Apple Stock Declines

Since the iPhone launched in 2007, Apple stock has posted a full-year loss only four times — in 2008, 2015, 2018, and 2022 — and a strong recovery followed in each of those years, with gains ranging from 10% all the way up to 146.9%. Those dips all traced back to sentiment and macro pressure, not anything breaking inside the business itself.

Apple Stock Fundamentals in 2026

In fiscal Q1 2026, ending December 27, 2025, Apple reported revenue of $143.8 billion — up 16% year over year — EPS of $2.84, a 19% gain, and also iPhone revenue of $85.27 billion, a 23.3% jump from the prior year. Services grew 13.9% to $30.01 billion, and cash on hand climbed to $45.3 billion from $30.3 billion a year earlier.

Management also guided for 13%–16% revenue growth this quarter, and the iPhone 18 looks on track for September — and the foldable iPhone is widely expected to launch this fall as well. The Apple stock price today, near $248, does not reflect that kind of acceleration at all, which makes the Apple stock forecast for 2026, with a consensus of $304.66, look very much within reach.

What Analysts Say About Apple Stock Right Now

Wall Street’s answer on the buy, sell, or hold question for Apple stock leans clearly toward buying. Wedbush carries the Street-high target at $350, reaffirmed in early March 2026, and J.P. Morgan sits at $315. Bank of America’s Wamsi Mohan trimmed his target slightly to $320 but also kept the buy rating, noting that supply chain checks confirm the foldable iPhone launch this year. The Apple stock buy rating of “Moderate Buy” — with 14 out of 24 analysts on the buy side — reflects a broad view that this pullback does not change the long-term story.

Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan wrote:

“Our checks in Asia suggest that Apple will likely introduce its first foldable iPhone in 2026.”

Dan Ives of Wedbush stated:

“2026 is going to finally be the year that Apple actually enters the AI Revolution.”

Gene Munster, a longtime Apple analyst, had this to say:

“If you’re taking a long-term view, this pullback offers a compelling entry point with a margin of safety.”

Apple stock is still a buy — and for anyone still working through the buy, sell, or hold question on Apple stock, the Apple stock price today, near the low end of every analyst range, makes the case stronger rather than weaker.