John Ternus has formally taken over as CEO of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), succeeding Tim Cook after his profitable 15-year run. With Apple’s next main iPhone launch scheduled for September 9, it seems the new CEO has only eight days until his first huge take a look at.
On September 1, Rosenblatt analyst Barton Crockett raised the price goal on Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to $303.00 (from $300.00) while sustaining a Neutral score on the stock. The price goal hike implies roughly 4% draw back from present ranges.
What Rosenblatt is Watching
Rosenblatt’s be aware assumes profitable navigation of provide chain constraints under the new CEO. Price hikes and premium priced merchandise, in explicit, are probably to offset margin stress.
Ternus’s take a look at is not that Apple can generate money. The tech giant is already robust, with Cook having reworked the company from a $350 billion company to a $4.5 trillion behemoth. His take a look at is instead to show that there is enough new growth and product innovation to maintain Apple’s valuation.
The tech giant has already had a report June quarter. Revenue for the company rose 16% year-over-year to $109.4 billion, whereas diluted EPS elevated 29% to $2.02. IPhone and Mac income reached June-quarter data, while the put in base surpassed 2.5 billion lively gadgets.
The working power further gives Ternus a strong basis, which comes on prime of the {hardware} engineering experience he already has from working at the company. This expertise also lends him deep familiarity with the product line he is about to reveal at the September9 occasion.
Bear Case: The Valuation
Apple stock is already trading at a P/E ratio in the 30s vary, which means that a profitable launch may not be enough on its own. Rosenblatt’s own goal sits below the present share price, an implication that the market has already priced in a profitable transition and product cycle.
According to Brian Mulberry, chief market strategist at Zacks Investment Management, which owns Apple stock, Ternus’s largest problem is to show that “AI will be more than an app on the iPhone, more than Siri.”
Another strategic concern Ternus inherits from Cook is the laggard that Apple is in the discipline of artificial intelligence. With {hardware} rivals trying to displace smartphones as a default shopper gadget, bears have also criticized the company for dropping innovation after the iPhone.
Analysis and Bottom-line
When it comes to Apple, hedge fund holders are still holding on to the stock. 169 hedge fund holders held the stock at the finish of the second quarter of 2026, modestly down from 170 in the earlier quarter.