Apple’s CEO Tim Cook dinner attends the China Improvement Discussion board in Beijing on March 24, 2024.
Pedro Pardo | AFP | Getty Pictures
Apple shares popped 6% Friday after the corporate reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and the largest-ever inventory buyback program. It was the very best day for the inventory since Nov. 30, 2022.
The iPhone maker introduced Thursday it could repurchase $110 billion of its shares, the largest buyback in U.S. historical past, surpassing Apple’s prior repurchases. The corporate posted earnings of $1.53 per share on income of $90.75 billion, exceeding analysts’ estimates of earnings of $1.50 per share on income of $90.01 billion, in response to LSEG.
However general gross sales decreased 4% and iPhone gross sales dropped 10% yr over yr throughout the quarter, indicating flagging demand for the smartphone’s newest era. Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner instructed CNBC that quarterly gross sales suffered from a troublesome comparability to the year-earlier interval.
Analysts at Financial institution of America reiterated their purchase score of Apple inventory, calling it a prime choose, and raised their worth goal to $230 from $225 in a Friday investor be aware, writing that they count on the corporate to roll out generative synthetic intelligence options for the iPhone this yr.
“Apple is rising iPhones in Mainland China, estimate revisions are turning constructive and GenAI options will drive a powerful improve cycle,” they wrote.
JPMorgan analysts, sustaining an obese score, lifted their worth goal for Apple to $225 from $210 on Thursday, pointing to “resilient” year-over-year iPhone revenues and “expectations of an improve cycle-led tailwind in iPads” forward of Apple’s product launch occasion subsequent week.
“All in all, whereas modest income progress year-over-year won’t be the best consequence,” they wrote, “it now supplies visibility into increased income alternatives within the coming years with tailwinds from product cycles throughout {hardware} units in addition to an AI-led smartphone cycle additional boosting progress.”
Morgan Stanley analysts retained their obese score of Apple and hiked their worth goal to $216 from $210 on Friday, citing the corporate’s quarterly efficiency, year-over-year progress in iPhone shipments to China in March, inventory buyback and hints at AI updates to return.
“It is arduous to not get extra bullish right here,” they wrote.
— CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
