Apple IncAAPLHOLDDec 17, 2014Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Oct 23, 2026. Market Open.
Still has a bit of a valuation issue, north of 30x PE. They've delivered, and will continue to do so. Its OS dominates the world at 70% of mobile devices, which will continue to generate growth. Doesn't know what'll happen to iPhone sales in China.
Other areas in tech are looking much, much cheaper. AAPL's getting a premium valuation, which it'll have to continue to earn. Not enough there to make it to the top of his list right now.
Her team is less positive on consumer spending, so they're not in this name. Key for long-term success will be how they embed AI into the iPhone. Not an impressive job thus far. Management changes could result in better innovation on AI -- has potential, but needs to show it.
For her, it's less about the foldable phone and more about a unique AI platform.
Some predict weakness in Apple's new iPhone sales because Apple raised the price of the phone in line with the rising cost of memory. Demand will depend on the telcos--will they continue to subsidize the growth in iPhones? It could be a challenge for the telcos. Next week, Apple has to show very good progress with Siri to have a successful phone launch. If not....
Sat out the capex buildout, relying on owning the end consumer. Time will tell if this was the right strategy. Massive service industry, with margins above 75%. The default stalwart when investors get worried about AI capex debt. Really good brand and margins, best share buyback program ever. Market's still trying to figure out where it fits in the AI ecosystem.
Continues to think this is a good company. Changed considerably from when he 1st purchased 7-8 years ago. The iPhone 6 is their newest product, but there are other things coming down the pipe, including the Apple watch, which he thinks will get more attention as it is launched. Also, ApplePay, which could redefine this company in the next 3-5 years. Trades at a very reasonable multiple of about 15X earnings. Ex-cash it would be considerably less than that. Still have about $150 billion cash globally. Since Steve Jobs, their capital allocation policy has changed dramatically and now they pay a very fine dividend as well as buying back a lot of stock. They buy back about 6% of the float per year. In China now and have just scratched the surface on their deal with China Mobile.