Barclays: Expect iPad 4Q Growth, iPhone Strength
By Dimitra DeFotis
On a day when Research in Motion (RIMM) added two new Blackberries to its ranks, Barclays says there’s too much fuss about the fate of Apple.
Analysts at Barclays think shares of Apple (AAPL) have more than 40% upside to their target of $555. The stock is up 2% today, or $8.29, to $387.56.
Analysts Ben A. Reitzes and Jennifer Thorwart say Apple’s market cap will rise “as it extracts more profits out of the traditional PC and mobile phone industries” and that Apple will still see sales growth in iPads, sequentially in the fourth quarter, based on supply chain patterns. Regarding share underperformance due to iPad and iPhone concerns, the duo says worries about iPad demand/build “have some merit, but are not a long-term problem and the iPhone concerns seem overblown.” To wit:
“While iPad estimates lack upside and have even some modest downside, we believe Apple still has significant holiday momentum with the iPhone, Macs and in China. Also, the jury is still out on the Amazon Fire [Amazon.com (AMZN)]. We believe the iPad still stands out as the industry standard in terms of software integration. Some of the early reviews for the Fire are less than flattering. We believe that iPad is set for a new product cycle in fiscal 2012, which will re-accelerate the category. …One thing seems universal from our extensive checks and conversations with colleagues – the iPhone demand still seems quite strong. Checks still show regular daily stock-outs of the 4S at Apple stores in the U.S. Internationally, signs show strong demand, especially in China. We believe some of the concerns around iPhone stem from order cuts for Japanese based suppliers for Flexible Printed Circuit Boards with facilities in Thailand …The real concern for iPhone may be the pace of C1Q12 builds and product momentum. Right now, based on conversations with colleagues, we expect production to fall in C1Q12 – but more in the older models than the new 4S.”
