The average analyst price target is the consensus (mean) price the Wall Street analysts covering a stock expect it to reach over the next 12 months. Quantustik shows it next to the current price and next to the model's own forecast so you can see where they disagree.
Two things an average hides. The spread: an average of $200 built from targets ranging $150–$260 tells you far less than one where every analyst clusters near $200 — a wide range means genuine disagreement, which is why the high and low targets matter too. And the lag: analysts tend to raise targets after a stock has already climbed and cut them after it has already fallen, so the target often follows the tape rather than leading it.
Treat it as a reference point, not a promise — a forecast made by people who can be wrong, update slowly, and skew optimistic (the sell side issues far more buy than sell ratings). Ask whether the analyst crowd sits far above, near, or below today's price, and which way that view is moving — not whether to trade around the number itself.
Almost always the next 12 months — where the analyst expects the stock to trade roughly a year out, not a same-day or long-term value.
Analyst targets are human opinions that update slowly and skew optimistic; Quantustik's forecast is a separate model-driven estimate. Showing both reveals where the sell-side and the model disagree, often more informative than either number alone.
Not on that basis alone. A gap below target can mean the stock is cheap, or that analysts simply haven't cut stale targets yet. It is one reference point among many, not a buy signal.
AAPL analysis shows this metric in context, or browse all S&P 500 tickers.
Educational research only — not investment advice.