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After a year of sub-$100 predictions for Apple stock, Goldman Sachs' Rod Hall has upped his 12-month price target to $130 from $83 after Apple posted another profound earnings beat for the second quarter.
In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, lead analyst Rod Hall changed its rating for Apple from Sell to Neutral after the Cupertino tech giant reported earnings that materially beat expectations in all segments. He points out that the iPhone 12 lineup did better than he expected, and also touted the performance of the Mac and iPad segments.
"Our original view that the iPhone cycle would disappoint in the midst of COVID was clearly wrong," Hall wrote. "Not only has Apple done better than we expected on iPhone during the cycle but Mac and iPad have also materially outperformed our forecasts."
Hall maintains that he meant what he said in prior forecasts, pointing out in September that Apple more often missed consensus than not between 2015 and 2019. However, Apple substantially beat expectations both in Q1 2021 and Q2 2021.
Although the coronavirus pandemic has given Apple tailwinds, the analyst admits that "Apple has executed extremely well in a tough environment." To change his view about Apple's future performance, Hall said he'd like to see sustainable demand through 2022.
Apple did not provide specific revenue guidance for the June quarter but said it does expect strong double-digit growth. Hall says Apple's expectations are ahead of consensus, despite the company saying it predicts a greater than usual seasonal revenue decline.
The analyst believes normal seasonal decline clocks in at about 15% to 15%, and says that the June quarter may see a 19% decline. He expects Apple to report revenue of $72.5 billion in the June quarter.
Hall has raised his 12-month AAPL price target to $130, up from $83. The new target is based on a 27x multiple applied to his earnings-per-share forecast. That's closer to consensus than in previous research notes, and Hall says it's because of Apple's solid performance.
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22 Comments
"Hall has raised his 12-month AAPL price target to $130, up from $83."
ROFL.
And people pay this guy for financial advise? FFS
How is being an analyst a reputable “job?” It’s all a gamble, it’s all prediction…just like the weather. The fact that a handful of analysts can affect the outcome of a company’s growth or failure is amazing and also ridiculous IMO. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
How do investors trust their billions to a guy like this? I am an idiot when it comes to finance and investing but common sense and keeping up with current events told me Apple was doing just fine last quarter. What is this guy smoking?
If I ever took the advice of these types of analysts, I would be considerably poor than I am now. Point in fact, around the time that I started contributing to a 401k, I also invested into AAPL. In those 20 years, my 401k had grown about 3 fold (300%) compared to the total contributions. The APPL investment on the overhand has grown 67 fold (6700%). I ignored the advice of the investment advisers and analysts when AAPL stock went into the big dips and hung in there. The stock is now worth the same amount as my 401k using only a fraction of the capital.
That choice will make a big difference to my retirement plans. Of course if I see signs that Apple are beginning to lose their way then I will cash out. But given the current performance and the promise of their new offerings I am very confident that Apple will continue to overachieve in the near future.
It always annoys me but I should not be surprised that the markets reaction to the massive earnings report has been tepid. Apple beat the street consensus by $0.40 (40% higher). Nevermind, I know that overall the stock will continue to move up overtime. With the introduction of the M-class Macs there is going to be a lot of upside to Apple's business.