Macroeconomic uncertainties have not spared the high-and-mighty in the tech sector but an analyst is confident that Apple Inc.
What Happened
KeyBanc Capital Markets’ “First Look Data” showed strong high-value (over $399) credit card and debit spending by U.S. consumers in September. Indexed spending rose 11 percent month-over-month, analyst Brandon Nispel said.This is against the historical pattern of a deceleration in spending in September, relative to August, he added.
The analyst said that the consensus forecast for the 2022 September quarter predicts 8 percent growth. He went on to highlight that over the past three years, Apple’s September quarter hardware revenue increased by 10 percent quarter-over-quarter.
KeyBanc estimates 11 percent growth, implying an upside to the consensus estimate, Nispel added. Apple’s hardware products fetched about three-fourths of the total revenue in the June quarter.
Nispel expects Apple’s September quarter to have benefited from an extra week of iPhone sales, a shift in the product mix toward more expensive devices like the Pro and Pro Max, and the $899 iPhone 14 Plus replacing the $699 iPhone 13 Mini.
Accordingly, the analyst raised his September quarter revenue and adjusted EBITDA estimate for Apple to $90.4 billion and $30.4 billion, respectively.
Nispel maintained an Overweight rating and $185 price target for Apple shares.
