J.P. Morgan’s Five-Star Analyst Slashes Apple (AAPL) Price Target—A Rare Move That’s Turning Heads

Wall Street’s golden child just took a swing at Apple—and the market’s buzzing.

### Rare Bearish Signal Hits Tech Titan

J.P. Morgan’s top-rated analyst—the one with the Midas touch—just downgraded AAPL’s price target. When a five-star player flinches, portfolios tremble.

### The Numbers Don’t Lie (But Analysts Sometimes Do)

No fluffy optimism here—just cold, hard calculus. The cut comes despite Apple’s usual ‘reality distortion field’ working overtime. Maybe even trillion-dollar companies can’t defy gravity forever.

### Cynic’s Corner: Another ‘Strategic Adjustment’?

Funny how these ‘prudent revisions’ always happen after bonus season. Coincidence—or Wall Street’s version of musical chairs? Either way, grab some popcorn.

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The team also sees weaker iPhone 17 sales ahead because of ongoing economic uncertainty and earlier purchases by customers trying to avoid price hikes from tariffs. In addition, it is worth noting that some of the recent demand was driven by smartphone subsidies in China. However, J.P. Morgan is more optimistic about the iPhone 18 lineup, which is expected to feature a foldable model and long-awaited AI upgrades. It believes that this could lead to stronger growth in Fiscal 2027, following a slower 2026, which helps FORM a long-term investment case for Apple.

On the supply side, analysts noted that Apple’s decision to shift more iPhone assembly from China to India should help protect its profit margins, despite earlier concerns. Still, new tariffs could lead Apple to raise prices, which might hurt iPhone 17 sales volume. J.P. Morgan has also lowered its earnings estimates and slightly reduced its valuation multiple, thanks to potential risks in the NEAR future. That said, the firm still expects Apple to report strong results for the third quarter of Fiscal 2025, thanks to solid short-term demand and continued support from Chinese subsidies.

Is Apple a Buy or Sell Right Now?

Overall, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on AAPL stock based on 16 Buys, nine Holds, and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average AAPL price target of $226.54 per share implies 13% upside potential.