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

Trendingnow

1

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

2

Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026

3

Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026

1

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

2

Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026

3

Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026

The analysts weigh in on Apple’s $46 billion quarter

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 25, 2012, 5:52 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Nothing but praise — after the ship had sailed — from folks who totally missed the boat 



Chart: MacRumors.com

A sampling of what Wall Street had to say overnight about Apple’s (AAPL) first fiscal quarter earnings report:


Barclay’s Ben Reitzes: No “Law of Large Numbers” Here. 
The upside Apple posted for the December quarter was beyond all of our most bullish scenarios, especially for iPhones and iPads. Most importantly, it seems momentum can continue given low channel inventories and demand in China. We look forward to several new product cycles this calendar year including a new line of iPads, an iPhone 5, and new Macs. In addition, we may hear more around a potential dividend and Apple’s entry into the TV business during CY12 as well. With all of these drivers, Apple remains our top pick in the sector. Price target: $630, up from $555.

RBC’s Mike Abramsky: iDominance! Strong Q1 results offer an early vote of confidence for CEO Tim Cook and team, and the strong guidance shows continued momentum from product cycles and expanding markets (Asia/emerging markets Q2–Q3). We remain constructive on the shares and view valuation (8x ex-cash) as compelling. Risks to our outlook include: 1) transitional risks post-Steve Jobs; 2) unexpected competitive gains; 3) margin erosion; and 4) “law of large numbers.” Reiterate outperform. Price target: $600 (up from $525).

Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty: Apple reported the cleanest and strongest EPS beat in recent history. New iPad 3 and iPhone 5 will help maintain sales momentum in 2012 and increasing possibility of cash return could re-rate the stock toward IBM’s multiple range of 12-13x P/E. Raising price target to $515.

JMP Securities’ Alex Gauna: We reiterate our Market Perform rating for Apple following a blowout F1Q12 earnings report. Upside revenues of $46.3B (+64%q/q, +73%y/y) represented substantial growth reacceleration and drove a crushing non-GAAP EPS beat of $13.87 (JMP $9.65, Street $10.08). The stock was up almost 10% in aftermarket reaction and as embarrassing as it is for us to have a Market Perform rating on the stock into such a powerful result, we are electing to remain on the sidelines at this juncture given the risk of this proving to be a peak margins and growth quarter, elevated litigation uncertainty, and management transitions.  Target price: “NA”

ISI’s Brian Marshall: When the Apple is Ripe, it will Fall…however, this AAPL is still growing on the Tree. With minimal “real” competitive threats to AAPL’s major product families in CY12, we believe the outlook for the next 4 quarters can be characterized as “smooth sailing…” We think the road for the “AAPL cart” is relatively smooth over the next few quarters. Price target: $515.

CitiGroup’s Richard Gardner: Firing on All Cylinders. Revenue and EPS of $46.3B and $13.87 were well above consensus $39.1B and $10.09 driven by better-than-expected units across the entire product portfolio. Particularly impressive was the 37M iPhone shipments, which drove more than half of the EPS upside. Although the lack of hardware re-design was initially criticized, the iPhone 4S experienced strong demand through the qtr supported by pent-up demand and additional carrier relationships. Target: $600 up from $500.

Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster: Strong Dec. Results A Precursor To Monster 2012. We believe investors are missing the potential long term upside of Apple’s current market expansion and future upgrade cycles. Based on our research, we estimate that 70% of iPhones sold in the US were upgrades from previous iPhones. We believe 30% of iPhone sales were from buyers going from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S. Lastly, our research suggests 94% of iPhone owners expect to re-buy an iPhone.  Price target: $670 up from $607.

BTIG’s Walter Piecyk: Apple Target up to $600 after Blowout Fiscal Q1. The most impressive element of the quarter was clearly the 37 million iPhones that were sold during the quarter which topped our street high estimate of 35 million and produced an ASP that actually grew from the prior year, a clear indication of the popularity of the higher priced iPhone 4S. We believe Apple is gaining additional momentum on Android which suffers with a fragmented product portfolio and uneven customer experience and RIM’s lack of interesting product. As an example, we estimate that Verizon’s non-iPhone smartphone base actually declined in Q4 while the iPhone base grew by more than 4 million. Price target: $600, up from $580. 

Deutsche Bank’s Chris Whitmore: Product pipeline is stacked. We believe Apple’s new product portfolio remains incredibly strong.  Specifically, we expect iPad 3 in C1Q12 followed by an iPhone 5 refresh in the Fall.  In addition, we expect Macs with Ivy Bridge should support incremental share gains and Apple TV appears set to graduate from an “Apple hobby” later this year.  We anticipate an iOS device with Siri user interface and iCloud synching has the potential to redefine the smart TV category in the same way iPhone and iPad impacted the smartphone and tablet markets, respectively.  Meanwhile, we expect iPad 3 to enter the tablet market as most competitors are refocusing their efforts on Windows 8 tablets. Price target: $600 up from $530.

Evercore Partners’ Rob Cihra: That’s a Lotta iPhones. Huge free cash flow of $16.2B drove Apple’s ballooning net cash/investments to an almost absurd $97.6B or $104/share, with investor hopes continuing to grow for some sort of dividend and mgt at least sounding somewhat more open to the idea. Price target: $650 up from $600.

Next up: Macworld/iWorld in San Francisco.

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

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
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

U.S. launches new strikes on Iran while Tehran mocks Trump’s reversal on charging for Hormuz transits — ‘20% is of course too much. We will be fair’
PoliticsIran
U.S. launches new strikes on Iran while Tehran mocks Trump’s reversal on charging for Hormuz transits — ‘20% is of course too much. We will be fair’
By Jon Gambrell, Konstantin Toropin, Will Weissert and The Associated PressJuly 13, 2026
6 hours ago
Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell face each other.
North Americagovernment spending
McConnell’s absence could jeopardize Republicans’ defense spending agenda as the Iran war escalates
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 13, 2026
6 hours ago
Best Recumbent Bikes (2026): Athlete Approved
HealthDietary Supplements
Best Recumbent Bikes (2026): Athlete Approved
By Christina SnyderJuly 13, 2026
8 hours ago
SoFi® vs. College Ave student loans
Personal Financestudent loans and debt
SoFi® vs. College Ave student loans
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 13, 2026
9 hours ago
Jony Ive (left), formerly with Apple and now with OpenAI, standing next to Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, at an event in 2022.
AIOpenAI
Stolen laptops, data breaches, secret moles, and recruiting-as-espionage. Here are the wildest claims in Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI
By Emily ForliniJuly 13, 2026
9 hours ago
SoFi® private student loans review 2026
Personal FinanceLoans
SoFi® private student loans review 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 13, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents
Innovation
The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 12, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 13, 2026
19 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 13, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 13, 2026
19 hours ago
Trump embraces Australian retirement system backed by Larry Fink
Personal Finance
Trump embraces Australian retirement system backed by Larry Fink
By Brianna Sosa and BloombergJuly 12, 2026
1 day ago
Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich
Big Tech
Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 12, 2026
2 days ago
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
Success
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
By Preston ForeJuly 6, 2026
8 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.