Apple's autumn product launch reveals highlights amidst the dullness, with Wall Street's bullish sentiment running high
Wall Street's reaction to Apple's fall launch event was "basically as expected." Despite a nearly 1% drop in pre-market trading, analysts are optimistic about the release of new hardware products. Bernstein analyst Tony Sacconaghi gave an "outperform" rating with a target price of $240, noting that the new features were surprising but the AI demonstration was disappointing. Other analysts such as Aaron Rakers from Wells Fargo and Matt Farrell from Piper Sandler share similar views, believing that investors' sentiment needs more convincing evidence
According to the financial news app Zhitong Finance, the reaction from Wall Street to Apple's (AAPL.US) annual fall product launch event can be summarized in one word: "basically meeting expectations." As of the time of publication, Apple's stock price fell nearly 1% in pre-market trading on Tuesday.
Among them, Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi stated in an investor report, "Apple's new hardware product launch basically meets expectations, more of an evolution than a revolution." He rates Apple as "outperforming the market" with a target price of $240. Sacconaghi mentioned that the addition of sleep apnea detection to the Apple Watch and the hearing aid feature of AirPods Pro were surprising, but the artificial intelligence demonstration was "a bit disappointing."
Sacconaghi expects that Apple may delay consumer upgrades until later this year or iPhone 17, as the adoption of artificial intelligence features is progressing slowly. He believes this aligns with the market's general expectations, predicting that the seasonal growth of iPhone in the December quarter will be below average, with iPhone revenue growth of 8% in the 2025 fiscal year.
Other analysts share similar views, including Aaron Rakers from Wells Fargo. In an investor report, he wrote, "Apple's event basically meets expectations." Rakers maintains a "buy" rating on Apple with a target price of $275. He believes that while the Apple Intelligence feature in iPhone 16 and historically low upgrade rates will be positive drivers in 2025, investor sentiment may need more convincing evidence.
Piper Sandler analyst Matt Farrell also believes that this event "basically meets expectations" and highlights some positive factors. Farrell stated that Apple's adjustments to camera control are an "exciting consumer innovation," and stable prices are seen as "positive" in the current uncertain consumer spending environment. He also finds the health features of Apple Watch and AirPods Pro "impressive."
However, the phased rollout of Apple Intelligence may "dampen broader excitement" and require further user education. Farrell added, "Overall, our stance remains unchanged, as the current stock price already reflects the excitement of the 'super cycle'." He rates Apple as neutral with a target price of $225.
Dan Ives from Wedbush Securities also stated that the details of this event "basically meet our expectations." He believes that the "cautious" introduction of artificial intelligence could benefit Apple in the long run. In an investor report, Ives wrote, "We believe that the cautious rollout of Apple Intelligence over the next six to nine months is the right strategy to catalyze significant upgrades in Apple's installed base." He also mentioned that there may be more partnerships in China to help "fill the missing piece in the AI puzzle." Eves added: "The new era of personalization and consumer interaction with the iPhone has begun. We believe that this will bring about a revival of iPhone growth for Apple in the next 12 to 18 months (high single-digit growth), driving the stock price higher and reaching a market value of $4 trillion by 2025." He also raised Apple's target price from $285 to $300