We recently compiled a list of the 13 Best Forever Stocks to Buy Right Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stands against the other forever stocks.

State of The Market in The Wake of The CPI Report

The first month of 2025 was an interesting one, with inflation rising faster than expected, giving another motivation for the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged. The consumer price index, a comprehensive measure of expenses in goods and services throughout the US economy, increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.5% for January, bringing the annual inflation rate to 3%. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, the CPI increased 0.4%, bringing the 12-month inflation rate to 3.3%, higher than the projections of 0.3% and 3.1%, respectively. According to Josh Jamner, investment strategy analyst at ClearBridge Investments, the report spells the end of the Fed’s rate-cutting cycles:

“The ‘wait and see’ Fed is going to be waiting longer than anticipated after a red-hot January CPI inflation report. This report puts the final nail in the coffin for the rate cut cycle, which we believe is over.”

In addition, policymakers are also keeping a watch on the White House in the wake of President Donald Trump’s advocacy for high tariffs, which might boost prices and make it more difficult for the Fed to reach its goal. Speaking on this, James Knightley, chief international economist at ING, said the following:

“There is no getting away from the fact that this is a hot report and with the sense that potential tariffs run upside risk for inflation the market is understandably of the view the Federal Reserve is going to find it challenging to justify rate cuts in the near future,”

While the consumer price index release is a widely cited inflation gauge, it isn’t the principal metric the Federal Reserve uses. Rather, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure is the personal consumption expenditures price index, which the Bureau of Economic Analysis will publish later this month, although it also monitors the CPI and other comparable pricing indices. In his remarks before the House Financial Services Committee on February 12, Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the Fed’s increased emphasis on the PCE measure but acknowledged that “we’re not quite there yet” on inflation, despite the “great progress” that has been done so far.

In such a macroeconomic environment, the notion of acquiring the best “forever stocks” might appear challenging. That said, although investors may gravitate toward riskier options with bigger potential returns, it is crucial to recognize that long-term stock investments have their worth and importance.

Our Methodology

When it comes to long-term investing, who better to emulate than Warren Buffett, arguably the most well-known investor on Wall Street? To come up with our list of the best forever stocks, we began by evaluating Buffett’s stock portfolio, focusing on stock holdings that had been in his portfolio for at least 5 years. Next, we looked at the number of hedge fund investors linked with each stock using Insider Monkey’s database of 900 funds in the third quarter of 2024. The following names are ranked according to hedge fund sentiments around them.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 158

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is a tech behemoth known for its flagship products, such as the iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch, as well as its varied portfolio of services, including iCloud and Apple Music.

According to Morgan Stanley, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s latest AI program, Apple Intelligence, looks to have given iPhone demand a tiny lift in the United States during the December quarter. However, the impact was limited and mostly focused on discounted older models rather than the most recent iPhone portfolio. Looking ahead, Morgan Stanley anticipates iPhone demand in emerging nations other than China to remain robust, with India leading the charge.

On February 4, JPMorgan reiterated its Overweight rating and $270 price target for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The firm report was based on Sensor Tower data, which revealed that Apple’s App Store sales increased by 2.7% month-over-month in January, above the historical average growth rate of 2.3% from December to January. This expansion also aided in accelerating year-over-year sales trends, with a 17.6% rise in January compared to 13.1% in December of last year.

Overall AAPL ranks 3rd on our list of the best forever stocks to buy right now. While we acknowledge the potential of AAPL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that certain AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AAPL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.