• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for

2

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

3

The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow

1

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for

2

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

3

The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
TechApple

Apple Analysts Offer Mea Culpas After iPhone Sales Hold Up

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 2, 2018, 4:33 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

With a wave of pessimism building about supposedly sinking iPhone sales, Apple surfed above the stormy forecasts to impress Wall Street on Tuesday.

Overall revenue in the quarter ended March 31 increased 16% from a year earlier to $61.1 billion. That included iPhone sales growing 14% to $52.2 billion and met the average analyst estimate. Earnings per share of $2.73 narrowly beat the analysts’ $2.69 average. Apple also made investors happy announcing a 16% increase in its stock dividend and a planned $100 billion share buyback.

Apple’s stock price rose almost 4% to $176.57 on Wednesday, at the high end of the price range where it has been mired since early November. The stock is now up 5% for the year.

The stock jump follows some mea culpas from analysts who were were too pessimistic, misled by reports from Apple suppliers that implied slowing demand for iPhones. But that storyline, which then gave rise to the idea that Apple had priced the $1,000 iPhone X too high, was wrong, UBS analyst Steven Milunovich noted. “The iPhone X is selling better than perceived—the narrative that it is too expensive appears incorrect as users are overall moving up the price curve,” he wrote on Wednesday.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“Overall, iPhone and services performances put our cautious view in the penalty box,” analyst Mark Moskowitz at Barclays conceded, as he grudgingly raised his price target on the stock to $161 from $157, remaining well below the current price.

It’s now clear that betting on higher prices with the $1,000 iPhone X was not a mistake, as it was Apple’s best selling model every week since it went on sale, according to CEO Tim Cook. And even though much of the opportunity for further growth in the smartphone market is at the low end in emerging markets, don’t expect Apple to go down in price much, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty said.

“While many investors are asking whether Apple might price its next line of iPhones much more aggressively, management commentary suggested a consistent strategy of pricing to value with each new iPhone carrying more technology and a higher bill-of-materials,” as she wrote. “We do see the weaker dollar and falling memory and other component prices as an opportunity to perhaps lower starting prices modestly, but any significant change in pricing strategy is unlikely, in our view.”

Without offering a much cheaper phone to compete better in places like India and Brazil, Apple may struggle to increase its revenue much with iPhones. After all, it likely can’t increase prices much more and unit sales are almost unchanged over the past two quarters from the prior year.

So many analysts are looking to Apple’s booming services business for growth. Revenue jumped 31% to $9.2 billion. Comprised of everything from sales of videos to Apple Music subscriptions and iCloud online storage space, the unit has more room for growth, Steven Pelayo at HSBC Global Research noted.

“We also like how Apple is leveraging its loyal installed base of (more than) 1.3 billion active users to sell more high-margin Services,” Pelayo wrote. Paid subscriptions jumped 30 million in the quarter and increased by 100 million from a year earlier, he added, citing record sales in the categories of apps, music, extended warranties, Apple Pay and iCloud.

Other analysts agreed. “Even if smartphone replacement cycles continue to lengthen, we see Apple delivering 4% revenue and 16% (earnings per share) growth over the next three years with services the primary growth engine,” Morgan Stanley’s Huberty wrote. She expects Apple will add a pay video offering soon, as has been widely rumored.

Apple’s wearables, which include AirPod earbuds and the Apple Watch, also grew strongly, according to CEO Cook, citing a 50% growth rate over last year and comparing the business to a “Fortune 300” company. Aluminum maker Alcoa ranked 300th on the Fortune 500 this year, with annual revenue of over $9 billion.

That encouraged fans of Apple stock, like Angelo Zino at CFRA Research, who has a price target of $195. “We still conservatively forecast no iPhone unit growth through FY 19 but see robust demand for other hardware offerings/wearables,” he noted.

Apple’s 16% dividend increase seemed low to HSBC analyst Pelayo, but Apple is emphasizing buying back stock, instead, he noted.

“The dividend was increased by 16%, which was below our expectation, but management was very clear in stating that they preferred to focus on stock buybacks as they perceived the shares as undervalued,” he wrote.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping shaking hands
PoliticsChina
China adds 14 European firms to export control list in tit-for-tat over EU’s Russia sanctions
By The Associated PressJuly 24, 2026
13 minutes ago
t
EnergyWhite House
Trump promises cheaper power from data centers. Analysts say bills could jump 40%
By Josh Boak, Matthew Daly and The Associated PressJuly 24, 2026
2 hours ago
sk
LawSouth Korea
South Korea’s ‘divorce of the century’ results in order for SK chair to pay ex-wife $640 million
By The Associated PressJuly 24, 2026
2 hours ago
brockman speaks on stage
AIOpenAI
OpenAI President says the HuggingFace security beach ‘is indicative of the times we are in’ as the company continues to investigate how its models went rogue
By Emily ForliniJuly 24, 2026
3 hours ago
craig
CommentaryPharmaceutical Industry
Big pharma’s patent cliff meets a new biotech Cold War: We need to outrun China, not outlaw it
By Craig GarthwaiteJuly 24, 2026
3 hours ago
Three people sitting on stairs
Startups & VentureTerm Sheet
Neo raises $100 million to hunt the zombie AI agents haunting your company
By Amanda GerutJuly 24, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
Big Tech
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
By Sydney LakeJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
Real Estate
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
2 days ago
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
Economy
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 23, 2026
23 hours ago
Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”
Personal Finance
Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”
By Joshua HongJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
Economy
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 22, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.