It’s virtually the time of yr when traders take a look at what they’ve been via and revisit the shares that formed the market narrative. The expertise sector delivered one other sturdy run in 2025, with the S&P 500 gaining 16% and the Nasdaq Composite gaining greater than 20% yr thus far via Dec. 9.
Nonetheless, the Magnificent 7 shares, which account for roughly a 3rd of the S&P 500, confirmed blended ends in 2025.
The Magnificent 7 shares’ year-to-date efficiency as of Dec 9:
- Alphabet (GOOGL): 65.12%
- Nvidia (NVDA): 38.17%
- Microsoft (MSFT): 16.49%
- Meta Platforms (META): 13.88%
- Apple (AAPL): 10.97%
- Tesla (TSLA): 8.85%
- Amazon (AMZN): 3.42%
Apple’s acquire places it within the decrease center of the pack and behind the foremost indexes. Buyers are actually watching what the corporate alerts for the remainder of the yr and into 2026.
Apple’s iPhone income for the fiscal fourth quarter rose 6% to $49.03 billion.
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Apple CEO expects stronger iPhone gross sales forward
Apple reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter outcomes on Oct. 30 and gave a powerful outlook for the December interval.
Earnings got here in at $1.85 per share, above the $1.77 anticipated. Income reached $102.47 billion, barely forward of estimates.
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“We expect total company revenue to grow by 10 to 12% year over year, we expect iPhone revenue to grow double digits year over year, and we expect that that would make the December quarter the best ever in the history of the company,” CEO Tim Prepare dinner mentioned in a CNBC interview.
iPhone income for the fiscal fourth quarter rose 6% to $49.03 billion, although it got here in barely under analyst estimates. The iPhone stays Apple’s largest enterprise, making up about half of whole income.
Prepare dinner mentioned demand for iPhone 17 has been sturdy. He additionally pointed to enhancing traits in China, the place gross sales fell 4% within the current quarter.
Prepare dinner mentioned Apple plans to launch a brand new model of Siri subsequent yr, and hinted at extra partnerships like including ChatGPT to Apple Intelligence.
Analyst raises Apple inventory goal forward of 2026
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives raised his inventory value goal for Apple to $350 from $320, reiterating an outperform score.
“2026 is going to finally be the year that Apple actually enters the AI Revolution,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a publish on X. “We additionally consider iPhone 17 gross sales have been trending nicely into year-end, together with in China.”
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Ives believes Apple will continue to beat Wall Street growth expectations for the December quarter with a healthy holiday season ahead, according to a research note emailed to TheStreet.
But what’s more important than iPhone sales, Ives said, is that Apple has finally started to outline a comprehensive AI strategy over the coming year.
Ives expects the “large second of fact” to be when Apple formally announces a stepped-up partnership with Google Gemini on the AI front in early 2026, which could be a game-changer for both tech stalwarts going forward.
Citi analyst Atif Malik also raised the firm’s price target on Apple to $330 from $315 with a buy rating. According to a note sent to TheStreet, the analyst believes there’s an upside for iPhones in Apple’s December and March quarters as iPhone 12 and 13 users enter an upgrade window.
Apple stock closed at $277.89 on Dec 8. Wedbush’s target implies about 26% upside from the current level.
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