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Needham: Apple stock a 'strong buy' because of Macs

updated 11:05 am EDT, Thu April 24, 2008

Needham on Apple Q2

Apple's second-quarter performance warrants a "strong buy" rating for its stock, according to analyst Charlie Wolf of Needham & Company. Wolf claims that there is only "one story" in the company's results, which is a 51 percent growth in Mac sales, distributed evenly across regions and different price segments; by comparison, the surrounding computer market only rose 16 percent. This is said to have been fueled by factors such as the spread of Apple Stores, the dual-OS abilities of Mac OS X Leopard, and the iPod's "halo effect," which leads some Windows buyers to switch over to Macs entirely.

Sales of the iPhone, estimated at 1.7 million units, are said to have been below Needham's forecasts, but in excess of Apple's. More importantly, Wolf argues, Apple is on the verge of releasing the 3G iPhone, and will probably be introducing a new pricing and distribution model as well as a host of new international carriers. Apple may in fact be moving away from requiring revenue sharing from carriers, to a system in which its partners subsidize part of the price of a phone.

Wolf notes that Needham is cutting its 2008 EPS rating for Apple from $5.35 to $5.25, on the basis of lower interest income connected to sliding rates. 2009 EPS predictions have risen from $6.65 to $6.70, though, and Needham's current price target is $235.

 
Previous Comments

duh

04/24, 11:56am reply

duh

rtbarry

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

0

Wait!

04/24, 12:16pm reply

But Amtech just said the outlook is mixed! Which are we to believe???

testudo

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Joined: Aug 2001

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depends...

04/24, 01:28pm reply

are you a pessimist? Believe Amtech. An optimist, believe Needham & Co.

MeandmyMac

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Joined: Feb 2008

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re. depends:

04/24, 01:33pm reply

In other words: are you a testudo or a climacs? ;-)

trevj

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Joined: Dec 1999

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haha

04/24, 03:23pm reply

very funny trevj... though I shudder at being included in the same sentence as testurdo.

climacs

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Joined: Sep 2001

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Re: depends

04/24, 10:19pm reply

Wow, I've never been called an optimist before. Thanks trevj!

testudo

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

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