Ford Motor Company (F)

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Could Be Why Someone Has Been Buying In After Hrs. The Last Few Days!

Apple recently gained clearance to test autonomous cars on California's roads, Christian Renaud, Research Director for the Internet of Things at 451 Research LLC, noted in an email. Advanced driver assistance systems or autonomous vehicle technology could be on Apple's shopping list, whether the company partners with a car maker or develops a vehicle on its own.

"Either way, that leads to M&A in that segment," Renaud wrote.

Civil Maps, which develops maps to guide autonomous cars, could interest Apple, Renaud said. The company has backing from Motus Ventures, Ford Motor (F) and Yahoo (YHOO) co-founder Jerry Yang's AME Cloud Ventures.

Video telematics and safety technology company Lytx could also appeal to Apple. Private equity firm GTCR bought Lytx for more than $500 million in 2016.