Investment firm RBC Capital Markets slashed its price target for Apple stock to $140 this week, saying data from the company's extensive supply chain suggests iPhone sales could shrink in 2016.
Apple investors showed concern this week after iPhone supplier Dialog Semiconductor warned revenue will fall short of expectations, but Piper Jaffray took the opportunity to remind Wall Street that it's unwise to read into supplier data.
On Monday, Katy Huberty of Morgan Stanley cited channel checks and a customer intent survey as the basis for predicting the potential for iPhone sales to fall by as much as 2.9 percent over the next year, reaching a total for 2016 as low as 224 million in a "worst case scenario." The idea of "Peak iPhone" generated clickbait headlines, but the real story is that channel checks have historically been extremely worthless at predicting Apple's actual performance.
Apple shares took a small hit on Tuesday after a report claimed the company decreased iPhone parts orders for the coming two quarters, a move that suggests weaker than expected iPhone 6s sales.
Last month, Apple added 26 new global carrier partners, greatly expanding the potential reach of its hot selling iPhone lineup and positioning the new iPhone 6s for continued growth.
Sales of the Apple Watch have continued to grow since its launch in April, and one analyst believes total sales of its wearable device could double this holiday alone, moving 6 million units in the lucrative three-month shopping period.
Apple's newly launched high-end iPad Pro is expected to make a big splash for the company, with one analyst forecasting the 12.9-inch tablet to be a $2.4 billion revenue opportunity in its first three months alone.
Goldman Sachs on Wednesday gave a ringing endorsement for Apple stock, telling investors that the iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple Music, and anticipated streaming television product will change how the market views the company.
Billionaire hedge fund manager David Einhorn, who once had a high-profile spat with Apple management over the company's use of cash, increased his stake in the iPhone maker significantly last quarter, new filings reveal.
Investment firm UBS believes Apple will sell a record 78.4 million iPhones this holiday season, easily topping the company's best-ever quarter from a year ago and continuing to eat away at competitor market share.
Across Apple's fiscal 2015, annual iPad unit sales fell by an astounding 19 percent while iPad revenues fell 23 percent, a plunge from fiscal 2014 of just over $7 billion. The tech industry pundits love to talk about the failure of Apple's tablet business, but are short on the specifics of what's happening. Here's why.
Investment firm Cowen and Company has a bullish outlook for Apple's new iPad Pro, citing performance benchmarks that show the device is capable of replacing many mainstream laptops running an Intel processor.
Over the past 12 months of Apple's fiscal 2015 (ending in September), the company "completed 15 acquisitions to enhance and accelerate our roadmap for products and services," noted its chief executive Tim Cook in the company's quarterly earnings call. However, the identity of only nine of these are known, and some of those haven't been confirmed.
Investors sent Apple stock sliding on Tuesday following reports that the Cupertino company may have been forced to dial back orders for its new flagship handsets due to lower-than-expected demand.
While the iPad lineup has continued to shrink to a smaller portion of Apple's total business, this week's launch of the iPad Pro could reverse that trend, one analyst believes, predicting total iPad sales will account for 15 percent of the company's revenue in 2016.
On November 12, Apple will pay shareholders of record a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, but investors must have settled ownership of the company's stock by Thursday November 5 in order to qualify.
After spending $11.2 billion across fiscal 2015 on capital expenditures, Apple anticipates that it will ramp up its investments in manufacturing, data centers, facility and retail infrastructure to $15 billion over the next year.
Concerns that the iPhone 6s upgrade cycle could post first-ever year over year sales declines were alleviated this week, when Apple indicated it expects iPhone sales will grow yet again this holiday quarter. Analysts on Wall Street reacted to the news positively, advising investors to buy in.
Apple reported a spike in its capital return program, spending $17 billion in Q4, including $14 billion in open market stock buybacks in addition to $3 billion in dividend payments to shareholders.
Apple's Chinese revenues soared 99 percent year-over-year in its fiscal fourth quarter, growing from just under $6.3 billion to about $12.5 billion, as CEO Tim Cook sounded optimistic tones about the company's plans for the region.
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Neil Hughes
Daniel Eran Dilger
Mikey Campbell
Blair MacGregor
AppleInsider Staff
Roger Fingas
