Stock Market Today, Feb. 17: Apple Rebounds as AI Strategy Heads Into High-Profile March Event
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), designs and sells consumer electronics, software, and online services, closed Tuesday at $263.88, up 2.26%. The stock moved higher after Wedbush reiterated its Outperform rating and $350 target, with investors watching Apple’s AI roadmap, including Siri upgrades, wearables, and the March 4 product event.
The company’s trading volume reached 57.9 million shares, which is nearly 19% above compared with its three-month average of 48.8 million shares. Apple went public in 1980 and has grown 205494% since its IPO.
How the markets moved today
The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) added 0.10% to finish at 6,843, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) also rose 0.14% to close at 22,578. Among technology hardware and consumer electronics peers, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) closed at $396.86, down 0.60%, while Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) finished at $302.82, down 1.05%.
What this means for investors
Apple shares rose Tuesday after Wedbush reiterated its Outperform rating and $350 price target, calling the recent decline as excessive and reaffirming its 2026 AI monetization outlook. The rebound followed an 8% drop, as investors weighed short-term execution risks against long-term AI potential. Recent scrutiny has focused on delays in Siri upgrades and broader AI feature rollouts, which have affected sentiment and prompted comparisons with its faster-moving competitors.
Attention now shifts to Apple’s March 4 product event, where updates to Siri, wearables, and on-device AI may clarify the company’s competitive position. Apple’s recent partnership with Gemini also aims to strengthen its efforts to embed AI more deeply across its hardware and services ecosystem. Investors will now watch the upcoming product event for clearer indications of how quickly these investments lead to unique features and sustained demand.
Should you buy stock in Apple right now?
Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $414,554!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,120,663!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 884% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of February 17, 2026.
Eric Trie has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Apple, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Recommended Articles
