Apple Inc (AAPL)

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More analyst comments from marketwatch

Apple gains in pre-open amid positive analyst comments (AAPL) By Tomi Kilgore
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Apple Computer (AAPL) rallied $1.17, or 1.7%, to $70.51 in Instinet pre-open trading after several Wall Street analysts spoke positively of the company following an apparent strong beginning to the holiday selling season.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster reiterated his outperform rating but raised his stock price target to $79 from $68, after his checks with Apple stores and third-party retailers indicated that iPod demand was very strong.

Deutsche Bank's Chris Whitmore affirmed his buy rating, raised his stock price target to $78 and upped his 2006 earnings estimate to $1.85 a share from $1.70. He sees a demand shift to more expensive iPods, which should improve average selling prices.

Goldman Sachs' Laura Conigliaro said that based on demand for iPods and iPod accessories, Apple's ability to drive earnings higher should be secure through this quarter.

J.P. Morgan's Bill Shope said that while Apple aggressively moves to replenish inventories, he believes demand will continue to exceed supply, which suggests his 10.8 million iPod unit sales estimate will prove conservative.