We recently published a list of The Best and Worst Dow Stocks. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stands against other Dow stocks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a benchmark index of the top 30 companies in the US. It represents the strength of the US economy and carries great historical significance as well.

It also acts as a reference point for analysts and investors. However, not all stocks within this elite group of companies perform equally. While some thrive on innovation and economic boom, others struggle due to various setbacks and economic trends.

We decided to break down the index and find out the best and worst stocks, looking at what was making them perform unexpectedly this year.

In order to come up with our ranking of the best and worst Dow stocks, we first assigned a rank to each stock based on the number of hedge funds holding the stock. We then looked at the short interest in each stock and assigned the top rank to the company with the least short interest.

We then combined the two ranks to see which stock was the best on average. The list is in ascending order, with the best stock taking the number one spot.

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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

A wide view of an Apple store, showing the range of products the company offers.

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 234

Short Interest as of Apr 30, 2025: 0.75%

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) operates as a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of tablets, smartphones, wearables, personal computers, and accessories. The company’s stock is down 18% so far this year.

Over the last few years, Apple has steadily shifted some of its iPhone production from China to India. However, according to The Information report, geopolitical tensions between the two countries have created some challenges. The recent U.S. tariff hike has pressured the company to expand its manufacturing outside of China. India now produces about 20% of AAPL’s iPhones, and the firm is planning to raise its iPhone production by 10%  in India in 2025.

Things aren’t going as planned, though. The firm led by Tim Cook is facing some challenges in its efforts to shift production to India. The company tried to move its equipment to initiate iPhone 17 trial production, but the Chinese authorities blocked the transfer of equipment. The firm is taking measures to resolve this issue.