Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) just bounced back from one of its worst monthly losses in a year and some investors are banking on the release of new products to continue this momentum. The sixth generation iPhone is set to release later this year, and once final arrangements are made with Time Warner Cable Inc (NYSE:TWC), Apple plans to release a TV set-top box. While some analysts maintain their HOLD Apple recommendations in anticipation of product announcements, other analysts are increasingly concerned about competition growth and advise SELL Apple. To review all analyst recommendations, be sure to download TipRanks, and start making informed decisions with advice you can trust.
Societe Generale analyst Andy Perkins recommends HOLD Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), focusing on the strength of Apple’s attractive new products. Andy argued, “We’re going to see quite a bit of new products. Perhaps we’ll see bigger screen phones, we might see more than one phone launched in the year, or one of these big products that so many people talk about: the iWatch of the iTV.” With the iPhone 6 slated to come out this August or September, the company might be in good shape based on the outcome of the last iPhone release, “the product accounted for more than half the company’s revenue in the latest fiscal year.”
When reviewing last year’s Apple product impact, Andy recommended BUY Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and came out on top. In July, right before the company posted Q3 2013 results, Andy noted, “Our work suggests that Asian handset exports remained strong in the second calendar quarter. We forecast that worldwide handset unit sales could total 440, up 8% yoy or 4% sequentially. We believe that demand for the iPhone remains reasonable but that demand for the iPhone 5 has tailed off even more quickly than the demand for the 4S in 2012.” Andy earned +13.6% over S&P-500, contributing to his spot as the number 41 analyst out of 2487 analysts, with an +11.1% average return over S&P-500 and a 90% success rate of recommended stocks.
However, ABG Sundal analyst Per Lindberg is very concerned that Apple’s products will not be able to stand on their own much longer due to the increase in competition. Per recommends SELL Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) noting, “Apple faces fierce competition in the smartphone market. It’s insular, isolated business model won’t be particularly popular when there are open alternatives available. If anything, it faces even harsher competition in the tablet market.” Per is ranked 1165 out of 2487 analysts, with a +1.4% average return over S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) and a 67% success rate of recommendations.
As Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) rolls out with their latest advancements in daily technology, which analyst’s advice will you be following?
