Apple continues gains for seven straight sessions

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares continued gains for a seventh straight session, as the stock closed 1.4% higher at $224.72 on Thursday.

The Cupertino, California-based tech giant gained about 6% in the preceding six sessions. Overall, the stock has gained more than 15% so far this year, compared to the over 14% rise in the broader S&P 500 Index.

AAPL is down 2% over the past one month. The stock closed 0.2% higher on Wednesday at $221.72.

Looking at Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating, AAPL has a Hold rating with a score of 3.49 out of 5. The company received A+ in the prospect of profitability, while it received an F in valuation.

Turning to the Wall Street community, 32 analysts gave AAPL a Buy and above. 12 analysts have given the stock a Hold recommendation, and two recommended Sell.

Seeking Alpha analysts are also cautious and rated the iPhone maker a Hold.

Earlier this month, Apple’s quarterly results and early outlook for the coming quarter received praise on Wall Street, with several firms pointing out the potential for the next iPhone and the tech giant’s artificial intelligence strategy.

Morgan Stanley analysts led by Erik Woodring also noted that Apple’s iPhone 15 builds were stronger than expected in July, and that momentum seems to be building into the iPhone 16 launch.