So far in 2026, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock has managed to evade the worst of the big tech selloff and might soon see its participation in the artificial intelligence (AI) boom accelerate.
Furthermore, Wall Street analysts appear to have taken both the business developments and the financial markets’ performance as bullish signs, as the two most recent price target updates indicate a further rally is in the cards.
On March 22, Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) analyst Erik Woodring took the opportunity to reiterate his previous ‘Buy’ recommendation for Apple stock and his forecast that the equity will rally 24.80% from its press time price of $252.40 and hit $315 in 12 months’ time.
One day later, Wamsi Mohan of Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) opted for the same rating for AAPL shares, though he, notably, downgraded the forecast from $325 to the admittedly still bullish $320.
Wall Street sets Apple stock price target for the next 12 months
Zooming out, the newest two revisions are consistent with Wall Street’s wider outlook for Apple stock.
On average, the blue-chip technology giant is viewed as a ‘ Moderate Buy’ and expected to rally to $304.40 within the coming 12 months, per the data Finbold retrieved from the stock analysis platform TipRanks on March 12.
Additionally, the bullish bias in the most recent forecasts is arguably backed by the expected continued strong performance for the company, but also by the news that Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is internally testing Gemini for integration with Mac and iOS.
On the flip side, however, Apple’s overall ecosystem might be slightly weakened in the coming months as a major competitor in the smartphone market, Samsung, unveiled AirDrop support between Android and iOS with its new Galaxy series on March 22.
Apple stock performance in 2026
Whatever might come next for AAPL shares, their performance by press time in 2026 has been one of significant volatility with a downward bias. Specifically, at its press time price of $252.40, Apple stock is 7.16% down year-to-date (YTD).
On the flip side, the latest performance has been notably positive as the firm’s equity is essentially flat in the one-week chart but up more than 2% in the morning of March 23.
Still, the most recent rally likely has little to do with the technology giant itself and is arguably more closely connected with the wider confusion regarding possible negotiations in the Iran war.
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