Apple

CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows: AAPL will start selling modified versions of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 that will remove the blood oxygen feature so that device sales can persist in the U.S. market. Although the removal of the sensor could make the device less attractive to some, it puts AAPL in compliance with a recent court ruling (pending appeal), alleviating a potential risk. Separately, AAPL’s biggest competitor, Samsung, officially announced its new popular Galaxy S24 line-up that looks to showcase greater on-device AI capabilities (e.g., real-time translation of calls/text messages, imperfect photo improvement, image and text search on the phone). We think this development could further motivate AAPL to unveil its own AI capabilities at its developer’s conference in June (both on-device and via iOS updates). Despite concerns […]

Eric J. Savitz Apple on Friday began taking pre-orders for the Vision Pro, the company’s new mixed-reality headset, which starts shipping to buyers on Feb. 2. On some social-media platforms, fanboys posted that they were so excited about the new device, and so worried about a perceived limited supply of the new product, that they set alarms (no doubt on their iPhones and Apple Watches) to get up by the 5 a.m. Pacific time launch to stand in a virtual line to get one. Expect the first real indications of early demand to come one day before the shipments start — Apple will report December quarter financial results after the stock market closes on Feb. 1. But it looks like the Apple fanatics really could have slept in. Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani wrote in a brief research note Friday that “initial signs” point to strong demand for the device.

Apple (AAPL) can bypass an import ban on its newer Apple Watches by removing a blood-oxygen sensor that’s involved in a patent dispute with Masimo (MASI), the US Customs and Border Protection has determined, according to several media reports Monday. Masimo reportedly said in a Federal Circuit filing Monday that Apple told the US Customs and Border Protection agency that its redesigned watches do not contain pulse oximetry features. Apple argued that the redesign would moot findings that the watches contain copyright-infringing technology, reports said. The US International Trade Commission had issued an import ban on Apple’s current Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches, stemming from allegations that the devices’ blood-oxygen monitors infringe two Masimo patents. The trade agency has yet to give an opinion on the CBP’s decision. Apple, Masimo, CBP and the ITC did not immediately respond to MT Newswires’ requests for comment.

Adding finance and healthcare names and paring back on tech and communication services should make for a steadier performance. By Nicholas Jasinski The Magnificent Seven had an extraordinary year in 2023 — one that will be very difficult to repeat. And there will be a new Magnificent Seven in 2024. Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla certainly earned the moniker last year. The seven largest stocks by market value in the S&P 500 each returned 49% or more in 2023 and were responsible for the bulk of the index’s gains. Similar returns in 2024 are unlikely. For one thing, this is the first time the seven largest stocks have posted such returns since at least 1999, suggesting a reversion to the mean may lie ahead. What’s more, just once in that time span have the same seven stocks remained the largest in the index over consecutive years.

Investment analyst firm Redburn Atlantic has added its name to the list of firms downgrading Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). This marks the third downgrade for the tech giant this month, following similar actions by Barclays and Piper Sandler. What Happened: James Cordwell, an analyst at Redburn Atlantic, decreased his rating for Apple from “buy” to “neutral,” maintaining his $200 price target, reported AppleInsider, citing Seeking Alpha. Despite forecasting a 2024 rise in iPhone sales, Cordwell cautioned about a potentially lackluster March quarter. Previously, Barclays predicted that the iPhone 16 would have no compelling feature, while Piper Sandler downgraded the tech giant over fears of falling demand.

Apple’s (AAPL) App Store revenue in fiscal Q1 rose 2% to $6.7 billion, BofA Securities said Tuesday in a report, citing Sensor Tower data. Fiscal Q1 had 91 days while the same period a year earlier had 98 days, the report said. App Store revenue in December rose about 10% both globally and in China, BofA said. In Q1, App Store gaming revenue decreased 3.4% to $3.6 billion and made up only 53% of total revenue compared with 56% a year earlier, the report said. The one less week in Q1 drove the drop, the bank said. App Store revenue trends in December also improved in the US, BofA said. The investment firm kept its neutral rating on Apple as “positive catalysts of new product introduction and stable iPhones are offset by a potentially weaker consumer spending environment,” according to the report.

Apple (AAPL) shares are oversold after underperforming by nine points compared with S&P 500 for the past one month, Morgan Stanley said in a note Monday. “Apple shares are oversold, and we’d be buyers of weakness,” Morgan Stanley analysts said. The reasons the investment firm noted were two downgrades and a recent New York Times report on the US Department of Justice’s anti-trust investigation against the company. The report also pointed to uneven product demand while Services is outperforming, creating volatility in investor sentiment. “However, we are picking up signs that Apple’s Gen AI efforts are accelerating, increasing the probability of an LLM-enabled OS launch and device upgrade cycle,” the analysts said. The investment firm reiterated its overweight rating with a price target of $220.

Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares have already fallen more than 5% in 2024 as the company battles weaker consumer demand and restrictions in the Chinese market, but one analyst believes the company is well-positioned for long-term success. What Happened: Neuberger Berman senior research analyst Daniel Flax appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday to discuss Apple’s future growth, as well as potential upcoming product innovations. The analyst noted that Apple has a history of consistently reinventing its product line and he highlighted the company’s broadening of its revenue channels through wearables and services. When discussing Apple’s services revenue, Flax noted that the App Store continues to be a profitable and innovative platform even though the tech giant has faced regulatory hurdles recently. Apple is also expected to continue to build on its product innovation trend as it explores spatial computing with its new VisionPro hardware, Flax said. On the iPhone front,

DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria initiates coverage on Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) with a Neutral rating and announces Price Target of $166.

Shares of Apple were falling Thursday after the iPhone maker received its second downgrade this week. The stock was down 1.2% to $181.96. The stock has fallen 5.5% this year. The shares have gained 46% over the past 12 months. Piper Sandler analysts Harsh Kumar and Robert Aguanno downgraded Apple to Neutral from Overweight and cut their price target on the shares to $205 from $220 in a wider semiconductors industry report Thursday. “We believe that first half of 2024 will be challenging for the analog market, handset and consumer end markets,” the analysts wrote. “However, we are expecting the GPU accelerator and Generative Artificial Intelligence driven compute markets to perform remarkably well throughout calendar year 2024.” The analysts said there were a few reasons for the downgrade, most of which focused on the iPhone. Piper Sandler said it was concerned about inventory levels stepping into the first half of

Piper Sandler analyst Harsh Kumar downgrades Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) from Overweight to Neutral and lowers the price target from $220 to $205.

Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2 Will Become Available For Purchase Again In US And From Apple.com Tomorrow By 12 PM PT – Bloomberg Reporter.