Rosenblatt Securities is raising its price target for AAPL to $189 in light of profound consumer interest in the Apple Watch Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Apple Watch Ultra
In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, Rosenblatt surveyed over 1,100 adults in the US. The survey found that many already had bought or are expecting to buy an iPhone 14 model in the next 12 months.
The most popular choice was the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which matches data from other investment firms showing that the model has been the most popular. The iPhone 14 Pro came in second place at 26%.
In particular, 38% of consumers showed strong interest in the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature exclusive to the iPhone 14 lineup. The feature lets people contact emergency services outside of Wi-Fi and cellular coverage.
Survey respondents also favored the Apple Watch Ultra. About 47% of the surveyees said that they already had one or plan to buy one in the next 12 months, despite Apple marketing this model toward extreme athletes.
The mix for Pro versus non-Pro models is said to be shifting to 85% to 90% favoring Pro, for iPhone 14. This is compared to the iPhone 13 Pro mix of around 60% to 65% at this point in the cycle.
In China, iPhone 14 Pro Max wait times are 42 days, 12 days longer than in the US. While there are certainly supply challenges, this still suggests stronger demand than expected in a market that is about 15% of Apple's total iPhone sales volume.
Rosenblatt's new price target is an increase from the $160 target it declared in July 2022. As part of the calculation the firm's estimates for Apple's fiscal fourth quarter of 2022 for revenues, adjusted EBITDA, EPS, and FCF per share were increased by 4%, and fiscal year 2023 was raised by 5%.
The data from Rosenblatt is similar to other surveys and supply chain channel predictions. Daniel Ives and John Katsingris from Wedbush showed the strong demand for the iPhone 14 Pro models in their investor note on September 28.