Apple Inc. (AAPL) — Quality & forensics
As of 2026-09-16 — refreshed nightly. Closelook readings from an investment research diary, not ratings or advice.
The Closelook module scores
- Valuation 27
- Quality 83
- Growth 40
- Balance sheet 55
- Cash quality 48
- Capital allocation 59
- Momentum 80
Scores are computed nightly across the coverage universe and read relative to it — the methodology lives in the company-scoring explainer.
Financial forensics — the academic screens
Sits in the safe zone (above 2.99). The Z-Score estimates financial-distress risk from five balance-sheet and earnings ratios.
Nine binary fundamental-strength checks across profitability, leverage and operating efficiency.
Screens reported earnings for statistical manipulation patterns — below the −1.78 manipulation-risk threshold. A screen, not an accusation.
Continue: the AAPL chart & overview · the earnings record · AAPL on the tape
FAQ · from the current data · as of 2026-09-16
Quick answers
What is Apple Inc.'s Closelook quality reading?
The composite reads 54/100 across 7 modules, as of 2026-09-16: valuation 27, quality 83, growth 40, balance sheet 55, cash quality 48, capital allocation 59, momentum 80. Closelook scores are research diary readings, not ratings or investment advice.
What is Apple Inc.'s Altman Z-Score?
12.46, which sits in the safe zone (above 2.99) as of 2026-09-16. The Altman Z-Score estimates financial distress risk from five balance-sheet and earnings ratios.
What is Apple Inc.'s Piotroski F-Score?
8 of 9, as of 2026-09-16. The F-Score counts nine binary fundamental-strength signals across profitability, leverage and operating efficiency.
What does Apple Inc.'s Beneish M-Score indicate?
-2.25 — below the −1.78 manipulation-risk threshold, as of 2026-09-16. The M-Score screens reported earnings for statistical manipulation patterns; it is a screen, not an accusation.
Mentioned on Closelook
Where AAPL appears in the diary — 19 pieces, newest first. Every link is our own writing.
Go deeper
Long reads
- The Agentic Winners 25
Apple controls the on-device inference environment — the hardware runtime on which personal agents will execute.
- NVIDIA 2030
The historical analogy chain — Microsoft (Windows monopoly) → Apple (consumer computing platform) → AWS (global cloud utility) → NVIDIA (global intelligence utility) — frames the scale of what is happening.
- Magnificent Seven — The Seven at the Shelf
2 · The four long trends — and the one most behind The four long trends, three years each: MSFT +59%, AMZN +97%, GOOG +152%, AAPL +72%.
Dailies
- Fed day — relief before the decision: 10-year 4.96%, Brent under $107.63, chips reclaim $505, Nasdaq-100 above $708.69
Software sits the relief out: the software ETF flat at $105.41, Microsoft −0.5% to $494.39, ServiceNow −0.8%, Amazon flat, Alphabet +0.3%, Apple +0.4%; the security names hold — Palo Alto +1.2%, Cloudflare +0.8%, CrowdStrike +0.5%…
- Rates — the 10-year hits 5.01%: Dow −0.9%, Russell −1.2%, the AI sort pauses, Oracle and Adobe hold their lines
The security group keeps its bid — CrowdStrike +2.9%, SentinelOne +2.3%, Zscaler +1.8% — and the buyers of compute give some back: Alphabet −1.6%, Amazon −1.5%, Apple −1.0%, Microsoft −0.8%.
- AI trade — the labs ask for a slowdown: Kospi −3.3%, SoftBank −11%, Nasdaq futures −1.2%, oil back above $106
Apple rose 1.8% to $332.27, a second day up after its event, Alphabet 1.8%, Amazon 1.9%.
- Oil settles at $107.63, the 10-year hits 4.95% and the 30-year 5.36%, its highest since 2007: chips lead a fourth down day, Oracle beats and jumps 4% after hours, Adobe beats and slips — and Asia sells its chipmakers 3% to 7%
Apple +3.6% after its iPhone event was the exception among the large names, Freeport-McMoRan −7.3% as copper fell from its record was the other extreme.
- Stocks snap a four-day losing streak as oil slips under $100 and chips bounce 2% — despite core inflation hotter than hoped and Fed hike odds at 82%; Oracle gives back its entire after-hours jump
The large names and the average stock both participate: Apple +2.4% at $334 a day before iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders, Meta +1.3%, Broadcom +1.3%, CoreWeave +1.9%, equal-weight S&P +0.8% — Cloudflare −1.2% the software exception
- Brent closes above $100 for the first time since July and the 10-year hits 4.86%: Wall Street falls a third day while Cloudflare +10%, Datadog +7% and Meta +7% catch the money the chip leaders gave back
Among the largest names, Alphabet −2.3%, Amazon −1.8%, Microsoft −0.5%, Tesla flat; Apple −0.3% to $315.34 after unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro, the foldable iPhone Duo and the 2-nanometre A20 Pro chip.
- Chips lead the market down as oil tops $105 and the 10-year hits 4.92%: Micron −4%, Intel −4%, Nvidia −2.5% — while software posts its first up day in six and Apple gains 3%
The exception is the group that has been sold all week: the software ETF is up 0.5%, its first gain in six sessions, with ServiceNow +2.1% and Apple +2.7% the day after its event.
- The trade flips at midday: chips fade, software bounces — Meta +6%, Cloudflare +9%, Datadog +6% while oil holds $101 and the 10-year hits 4.85%
Oracle −0.8% into Thursday's report, Apple −1.2% into its 1 pm product event
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