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Here's Why Apple (AAPL) is a Bullish Stock in a Tough August
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Shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) have come a long way over the past three years to around $222 from $130 at the beginning of January 2021. However, the uptick in the Apple stock has been erratic at times. While the stock gains were 35% and 49% in 2021 and 2023, respectively, shares tanked 26% in 2022 when the company’s product sales hit a roadblock due to the outburst of the pandemic.
Therefore, investors may be rightfully skeptical about Apple’s performance in the notoriously challenging month of August when several stocks post lackluster performances. However, Apple is experiencing a bullish trend this year, with its shares gaining 15.5% year to date.
Moreover, Apple’s short-term moving average (50-day) went above the long-term average (200-day) on Jun 13, and the tech behemoth’s shares have advanced almost 4% since then. After all, this phenomenon is a golden cross in technical terms, which is considered a potential indicator of a long-term uptrend.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Astute investors should have considered buying Apple stock during the bullish crossover period. However, it’s not too late to place a bet on the iPhone maker. This is because the company has the wherewithal to go far in artificial intelligence (AI) and boost iPhone sales through planned discounts in China. Apple’s stock is also trading at a reasonable price point compared to other tech bigwigs.
Apple’s AI Venture
Companies such as NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) and Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) , to name a few, have gained substantially over the past year, banking on the spectacular growth in AI. However, Apple is slightly late in joining the AI bandwagon.
But this is Apple’s trend, the company always gambles with new technology after doing proper research, which helps it to introduce market-leading products. The company didn’t enter the smartphone and smartwatches market in the first place, yet it is now leading such markets.
Apple is introducing a generative AI platform where a series of new products, including language and image generation tools, are lined up. Apple’s brand loyalty will certainly boost sales of such products, and with $162.34 billion in cash and marketable securities (as of Mar 30, 2024), Apple is further poised to invest more in AI.
Improving iPhone Sales
Rising trade tensions between the United States and China, coupled with stiff competition from Huawei, have impacted Apple’s iPhone sales in China for quite some time. However, Apple seems to have successfully lured Chinese customers in the fiscal third quarter with attractive iPhone discounts and improved iPad margin by refreshing its design.
This encouraging development will surely lift Apple’s revenues in the fiscal third quarter. According to market intelligence firm IDC, Apple offered discounts of up to $317 on select iPhone products in China, which is expected to narrow down iPhone sales decline by 3.1% in the fiscal third quarter.
Apple is slated to report earnings for the Apr-Jun quarter on Aug 1, and an improvement in revenues is expected to boost the company’s bottom line. Apple is projected to notch earnings per share of $1.34 for the fiscal third quarter, more than $1.26 a year ago, indicating an increase of 6.4%.
Moreover, Apple has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 4.1%, a tell-tale sign that the stock has a good chance to exhibit solid earnings growth in the upcoming earnings release, leading to an uptick in share price.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
But it’s just not all about the fiscal third-quarter results, Apple is expected to introduce its iPhone 16 with advanced AI features in September, which could very well propel the iPhone maker to a $4 trillion market capitalization.
Trading at a Bargain Compared to Peers
Apple’s modest stock gains compared to its AI rivals like NVIDIA and Amazon so far this year have made it a bargain in a dull August when investors are frantically searching for a better value stock.
By looking at the Price/Earnings ratio, the Apple stock presently trades at 33.6X forward earnings. On the other hand, rivals NVIDIA and Amazon’s forward earnings multiples are 43.5X and 40.7X, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Thus, investors must pick Apple shares like there’s no tomorrow. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Apple’s current-year earnings has moved up 0.5% over the past 60 days, while the company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 7.8%. Apple currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Here's Why Apple (AAPL) is a Bullish Stock in a Tough August
Shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) have come a long way over the past three years to around $222 from $130 at the beginning of January 2021. However, the uptick in the Apple stock has been erratic at times. While the stock gains were 35% and 49% in 2021 and 2023, respectively, shares tanked 26% in 2022 when the company’s product sales hit a roadblock due to the outburst of the pandemic.
Therefore, investors may be rightfully skeptical about Apple’s performance in the notoriously challenging month of August when several stocks post lackluster performances. However, Apple is experiencing a bullish trend this year, with its shares gaining 15.5% year to date.
Moreover, Apple’s short-term moving average (50-day) went above the long-term average (200-day) on Jun 13, and the tech behemoth’s shares have advanced almost 4% since then. After all, this phenomenon is a golden cross in technical terms, which is considered a potential indicator of a long-term uptrend.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Astute investors should have considered buying Apple stock during the bullish crossover period. However, it’s not too late to place a bet on the iPhone maker. This is because the company has the wherewithal to go far in artificial intelligence (AI) and boost iPhone sales through planned discounts in China. Apple’s stock is also trading at a reasonable price point compared to other tech bigwigs.
Apple’s AI Venture
Companies such as NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) and Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) , to name a few, have gained substantially over the past year, banking on the spectacular growth in AI. However, Apple is slightly late in joining the AI bandwagon.
But this is Apple’s trend, the company always gambles with new technology after doing proper research, which helps it to introduce market-leading products. The company didn’t enter the smartphone and smartwatches market in the first place, yet it is now leading such markets.
Apple is introducing a generative AI platform where a series of new products, including language and image generation tools, are lined up. Apple’s brand loyalty will certainly boost sales of such products, and with $162.34 billion in cash and marketable securities (as of Mar 30, 2024), Apple is further poised to invest more in AI.
Improving iPhone Sales
Rising trade tensions between the United States and China, coupled with stiff competition from Huawei, have impacted Apple’s iPhone sales in China for quite some time. However, Apple seems to have successfully lured Chinese customers in the fiscal third quarter with attractive iPhone discounts and improved iPad margin by refreshing its design.
This encouraging development will surely lift Apple’s revenues in the fiscal third quarter. According to market intelligence firm IDC, Apple offered discounts of up to $317 on select iPhone products in China, which is expected to narrow down iPhone sales decline by 3.1% in the fiscal third quarter.
Apple is slated to report earnings for the Apr-Jun quarter on Aug 1, and an improvement in revenues is expected to boost the company’s bottom line. Apple is projected to notch earnings per share of $1.34 for the fiscal third quarter, more than $1.26 a year ago, indicating an increase of 6.4%.
Moreover, Apple has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 4.1%, a tell-tale sign that the stock has a good chance to exhibit solid earnings growth in the upcoming earnings release, leading to an uptick in share price.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
But it’s just not all about the fiscal third-quarter results, Apple is expected to introduce its iPhone 16 with advanced AI features in September, which could very well propel the iPhone maker to a $4 trillion market capitalization.
Trading at a Bargain Compared to Peers
Apple’s modest stock gains compared to its AI rivals like NVIDIA and Amazon so far this year have made it a bargain in a dull August when investors are frantically searching for a better value stock.
By looking at the Price/Earnings ratio, the Apple stock presently trades at 33.6X forward earnings. On the other hand, rivals NVIDIA and Amazon’s forward earnings multiples are 43.5X and 40.7X, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Thus, investors must pick Apple shares like there’s no tomorrow. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Apple’s current-year earnings has moved up 0.5% over the past 60 days, while the company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 7.8%. Apple currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.