Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc. (AAPL) designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. With a market cap of $3.2 trillion, the company offers iPhone, Mac, iPad, wearables, home, and accessories, comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and more. AAPL is poised to report its fiscal 2025 Q3 earnings on Thursday, July 31, after the market closes.

Ahead of this event, analysts expect the company to report a profit of $1.42 per share, up 1.4% year-over-year from $1.40 reported in the year-ago quarter. The company has surpassed the Street’s bottom-line projections in each of the past four quarters, which is impressive.

For fiscal 2025, analysts expect AAPL to report earnings of $7.10 per share, up 5.2% from $6.75 in fiscal 2024. Moreover, the earnings are expected to rise 8% year-over-year to $7.67 per share in fiscal 2026.

AAPL stock has declined 5.8% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLK) 16.3% surge and the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 13.6% uptick during the same time frame.

On Jul. 15, Apple shares surged marginally following news of a strategic $500 million agreement with MP Materials Corp., a rare-earth supplier backed by the Pentagon. The deal underscores Apple's commitment to securing a stable, domestic supply of critical minerals used in the production of its devices, such as iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. This move not only helps Apple reduce reliance on foreign sources, particularly China, but also aligns with broader U.S. efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical materials vital to both technology and national security.

The consensus view on AAPL stock remains somewhat optimistic, with a “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Of the 37 analysts covering the stock, opinions include 18 “Strong Buys,” three “Moderate Buys,” 14 “Holds,” and two “Strong Sells.” AAPL’s mean price target of $230.92 indicates a 9.3% upswing from the current market prices.