John Ternus Will Become Apple's New CEO in September. Is Now a Good Time to Buy the Stock?

By Adria Cimino – Apr 26, 2026 at 4:05AM ESTKey PointsTernus may pick up where Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook left off.The incoming CEO is a longtime Apple employee and brings hardware engineering strengths to the job. Apple (AAPL 0.87%) has built a device empire, topped by its crown jewel: the world-famous iPhone. Last year, the iPhone was the best-selling smartphone globally, according to Counterpoint Research, and iPhones held seven of the top 10 positions. The company has also conquered the world with other related innovations, from the iPad to the Apple Watch. All of this has helped Apple grow earnings into the billions of dollars and market value to $4 trillion. Behind these innovations are two leaders: Apple co-founder and former chief executive officer Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook. The former is often described as a creative innovator, while the latter is known as an operations expert. In both cases, they helped shape Apple into one of today's top technology players. Now, a third individual may join this list of leaders. As of Sept. 1, Cook will hand the Apple reins over to John Ternus. The current senior vice president of hardware engineering will take on this role, while Cook becomes executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. Ahead of this major transition, is now a good time to buy Apple stock? Let's find out. Image source: Getty Images. Tim Cook's successes So, first, let's consider the Apple path so far. In recent years, Cook has scored many wins, from maintaining the leadership of Apple products to translating the company's massive user base into a services revenue opportunity. Under Cook's leadership, Apple's active installed base of devices has reached beyond 2.5 billion, and the variety of services available to these users has created massive recurrent revenue for Apple. The idea is that revenue doesn't end with the purchase of an iPhone, and instead continues as users pay for digital storage, entertainment, and more. Cook made this a focus, and as a result, the services business now tops $100 billion. All of this is fantastic, but one area has held Apple back in recent years, and that's the company's slow adoption of one of the hottest technologies of the past few decades: artificial intelligence (AI). The company launched certain AI features, known as Apple Intelligence, in 2024, but the rollout continues -- and after delays, Apple customers are eagerly awaiting an update to the voice assistant Siri, potentially this year. As tech players that more quickly embraced AI saw their stock performance take off, Apple's has remained a few steps behind. So, the company's efforts in AI as well as product innovation may be two areas of focus -- and if new chief John Ternus makes a positive mark here, investors may cheer. ExpandNASDAQ: AAPLAppleToday's Change(-0.87%) $-2.37Current Price$271.06Key Data PointsMarket Cap$4.0TDay's Range$269.65 - $273.0652wk Range$193.25 - $288.62Volume38MAvg Vol46MGross Margin47.33%Dividend Yield0.38% What we know about John Ternus What do we know about Ternus? He's been with Apple for almost his entire career and became an executive team member in 2021 when he took on his current position. Ternus may be seen as a "product guy" as he's been involved in the hardware engineering that makes devices such as the iPhone or AirPods what they are today. And speaking of AirPods, his team drove work on technology such as noise cancellation and a hearing aid feature. Apple also said that the recent decision followed a "thoughtful, long-term succession planning process," so the company may have evaluated Ternus' potential for the role for quite some time. Considering all of this, should you buy the stock now, ahead of this key transition? Cook clearly accomplished a great deal at Apple, but there's more to be done -- and the next step that could supercharge growth, as I mentioned above, may have a lot to do with AI strategy and product innovation. Ternus, with product engineering expertise, may bring a valuable perspective and sound experience to the table. And with Cook still around as executive chairman, any shifts in strategy might not be drastic or happen overnight. So, I don't see this transition as a high-risk one for the company or investors. That doesn't mean it will be a non-event, however. Ternus may be eager to add his touch to the Apple story -- and take action to address areas of weakness or areas that hold potential. So, picking up shares of this tech giant today may be a good idea: It offers investors the opportunity to get on board early, potentially ahead of a new era of growth.Read NextApr 25, 2026 •By Parkev Tatevosian, CFAApple Stock Analysis: Buy or Sell Before April 30?Apr 24, 2026 •By Motley Fool StaffAs Tim Cook Steps Aside, What's Next for Apple?Apr 24, 2026 •By Leo SunWarren Buffett Quietly Sold 75% of His Biggest Holding.

This Is Where the Money Went.Apr 24, 2026 •By Catie Hogan2 Reasons Investors Should Be Excited for the New Apple CEOApr 24, 2026 •By Sean WilliamsForget Innovation! Tim Cook's Greatest Contribution to Apple Is This $841 Billion Acquisition.Apr 23, 2026 •By Geoffrey SeilerPrediction: Apple Stock Will Flourish Under New CEOAbout the AuthorAdria Cimino is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering healthcare, technology, and consumer goods sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Adria covered the European stock market and U.S. stocks pre-market trading for Bloomberg News, Bloomberg TV, and Bloomberg Radio for more than a decade. Earlier in her career, she wrote about biotech, medtech, and technology companies in Boston for Mass High Tech, an American City Business Journals publication. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida.TMFAdriaCiminoX@adria_in_parisStocks MentionedAppleNASDAQ: AAPL$271.06(-0.87%)-$2.37*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.