Goldman Sachs upgrades Apple(NASDAQ:AAPL) from Sell to Neutral after yesterday's earnings blowout, saying the firm's "original view that the iPhonecycle would would disappoint in the middle of COVID was clearly wrong."
The firm notes that iPhone, Mac, and iPad sales all outperformed Goldman's expectations. And Apple said iPad demand was so strong the company expects to leave $3-4B "on the table" in FQ3 to June.
Goldman stays on the sidelines believing that these demand levels will be difficult for Apple to sustain.
Raymond James (Outperform) raises its Apple price target from $160 to $185, expecting the next iPhone cycle to deliver the unit growth that didn't happen last year due to the pandemic.
Morgan Stanley (Overweight) lifts Apple's PT from $158 to $161, saying the earnings strength will help ease the risks to the 2022 consensus estimates as the pandemic-driven tailwinds ease.
"Apple provided partial guidance for fiscal third quarter, and both the dividend and buyback programs were boosted. But what impressed the most, in my opinion, was the extent of Apple's Q2 beat. The company's performance bordered "unbelievable," as Morgan Stanley's analyst pointed out during the conference call. With a historic earnings smasher, Apple made sure to leave no room for post-earnings bearishness," writes Seeking Alpha'sDM Martins Research.
Apple shares are up 2.8% pre-market to $137.33.