Apple Inc (AAPL)

Never average down. Technical analysts only average up. Don’t buy any more. Just let it ride. A lot of people were buying up to 2012. There is talk of profit taking because of possible pending tax hikes in the US. It had a gap up today but volume was not as high today as last trading day. We are below the 200 day moving average and that indicates a trend reversal. One day does not make a rally or a reversal. He would watch this very carefully.

Looking at the very long term chart of Apple, there is a monstrous uptrend. It is still in an uptrend. It has only come down to a lower part of the price channel. It has swung from too far above to too far below the 50 day moving average. That reversal today was interesting. It is more impressive it is on a weekly chart.

He is short Apple in some portfolios. The issue is that every portfolio manager owns this stock. It has been performing poorly and there may be changes in taxes, less innovation.

Drop off is investors protecting their profits. They could not make their products fast enough. Some people may be taking profits to trigger gains in case US capital gains taxes go up. This company is not going away. It is not another RIM. Thinks they will get better margins than they are talking about.

Has been selling his holdings in the last 6 months or so, as he is getting a little bit concerned about the growth rate.

A bit surprised at the strength of the selloff but not much different than what it was earlier this year. As you head into the next few quarters, there will be an additional carrier that will be picking up the iPhone, which is definitely a plus for them. Feels that bringing out the mini was the right thing to do. $121 billion in cash. Trading at 11X earnings and he still sees a 20% growth rate. He could see it perhaps falling down to its next support level at around $550 or so.

Analysts are all still in love with this. It’s the investors who are looking at it somewhat differently. There are finally some first cracks in the company. Technically the stock looks vulnerable here. There is probably some more downside in it.

Took out a quarter of his position earlier. When you change management (Steve Jobs left) you get a bit of a break but it kicks in when you get your first missed quarter. But right now he thinks they have enough earnings momentum to keep the company going for a couple of years. Bought again yesterday after 15% pullback.

Has pulled back and has a little bit of weakness, but hasn’t broken the 200 day moving average. What you want to see before you start to worry is if it pulls back into the $525 area. Technically, it is at the 200 day moving average and if it pulled back down below, there may be further weakness. Will probably do okay over the next little while. He would be concerned once it gets past January, which is when the technical stocks tend to weaken up.

Ultimately this is a gadget maker but the best. Great products but all of these products are coming to a maturity in their life. Thinks that mediocrity creeps in.

Bull Put Spread. Sell Feb 600 Puts @ $44 and Buy Feb 550 Puts @ $22.20

Given what they have said, there is a chance they will actually miss. A lot of people think the iPad mini will decrease iPad margins.

The drop in the stock price is not a big surprise. History shows that after a major announcement, the stock price generally retreats. It makes a wonderful entry point. The huge risk in this is not owning it. Trading at a very reasonable multiple.

An impressive growth company that you can buy today at what he would classify as a value price. The price has come off recently so he has been adding to his position. The new iPhone 5 is selling extremely well. It is going to be a very good holiday season for them. The only thing that he would watch as a risk factor is the margin profile.

As an investor he likes companies that have strong profit margins and are able to raise prices, which they have done. Dirt cheap for the top branded company in the world. Thinks they will earn $50 a share next year. Have a huge pile of cash that will continue to grow. Hopefully there will be more dividend increases and a share buyback next year.