With the inclusion of HomeKit and HealthKit in Apple's forthcoming iOS 8, as well as rumors of a new 'iPhone 6' mobile payment system, investment firm Piper Jaffray has increased its price target on the company's stock to $120.
Apple stock reached an all-time high in trading on Friday, and also finished the day at its highest-ever closing price, as investors and customers alike are clamoring to see what the secretive company has up its sleeve for a Sept. 9 media event.
Though revenues from Apple Stores have actually been shrinking in recent quarters, the company's brick-and-mortar operations have continued to play a pivotal role in courting Windows switchers and driving sales of Mac hardware to new heights.
After meeting some resistance at the $100 mark, shares of Apple stayed in three-digit territory and closed above their previous all-time high in Tuesday afternoon trading, setting a new record for the company's stock.
Apple is on the verge of a major new iPhone product cycle, but this one will be unlike any other launch before it, making it an ideal time for investors to buy in to the company's stock, Morgan Stanley said on Tuesday, helping shares to touch $100 in mid-day trading.
It's expected that Apple will see its gross margins shrink at the end of 2014 as the company is expected to introduce a completely redesigned "iPhone 6," though one analyst sees margins trending upwards once again by the March 2015 quarter.
On August 14, Apple will pay shareholders of record a quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share, but investors will need to have purchased the company's stock by the market's close next Monday, August 11 in order to qualify.
Investment firm UBS heaped praise upon Apple on Wednesday, advising Wall Street to buy in on the strength of Chief Executive Tim Cook and his strategy to push the iOS platform "everywhere."
During its fiscal Q3 ending in June, Apple spent $5 billion to buy up its own stock off the market. Since the beginning of fiscal 2014, Apple has spent $28 billion to repurchase stock at average share prices between two-thirds and three-quarters of its current stock price.
Following Apple's record earnings report this week, investment firm RBC Capital Markets raised its price target to $110, recommending that investors buy ahead of what is expected to be a "busy fall" for the iPhone maker.
Though Apple's June quarter results were slightly below Wall Street expectations, investors expressed greater concern over the company's guidance for the current September quarter, but they were also pleased by improving gross margins, chalking up the results as a mixed bag.
Apple on Tuesday fell just short of Wall Street expectations for its third fiscal quarter of 2014 amid disappointing results for the iPhone and iPad, though the Mac continued to outpace the PC market. Following the announcements, executives from the company participated in a conference call with analysts and the media, and notes of interest follow.
Apple saw double-digit-percentage growth for the iPhone to reach 35.2 million units in its just-concluded June quarter, the company revealed Tuesday, but it still fell just shy of the market's expectations, particularly with declining sales for its iPad lineup.
UBS this week was the latest investment firm to increase its price target for shares of Apple, with a new projection of $115 ahead of this afternoon's June quarter earnings report.
While many Apple observers expect the company to reveal solid year-over-year growth for its relatively quiet June quarter, much of the focus will be on new CFO Luca Maestri's guidance for the fall with updated iPhones and iPads on the horizon, the expected closing of the Beats acquisition, and the possibility of a so-called "iWatch."
Though Barclays has been bearish on Apple stock since February, the investment firm changed its tune on Monday with a newly reestablished "overweight" rating alongside a new price target of $110 per share.
Strong customer loyalty for Apple's iPhone is predicted by Morgan Stanley to drive a so-called "halo effect" for sales of the company's rumored "iWatch," prompting the investment firm on Monday to increase its price target for AAPL stock to $110.
Expecting big things from the anticipated debuts of new iPhones and a so-called "iWatch" this fall, Evercore Partners on Wednesday increased its price target on shares of Apple to $115 — one of the highest current forecasts on Wall Street.
Wells Fargo Securities believes Apple may have just completed yet another record breaking quarter, driven by a forecasted shipment of 36.5 million iPhones for the three-month period ending in June.
Apple on Monday announced its quarterly earnings call for the third fiscal quarter of 2014 is slated for July 22 and will be the first such event for Luca Maestri since being officially confirmed as the company's new CFO.
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Neil Hughes
Daniel Eran Dilger
AppleInsider Staff
Sam Oliver
