Analyst suggests 'solid quarter' for Apple Marketwatch - February 21, 2007 12:21 PM ET
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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Apple Inc. should benefit from stronger sales of its Macintosh computer products and lower component costs for its Macs and iPods, according to Prudential Equity Group, which Wednesday lifted its earnings estimate on Apple for the current quarter.
Prudential boosted its earnings per share on Apple by 4 cents, to 68 cents a share, putting the brokerage in Wall Street's bullish camp.
Analysts polled by Thomson Financial estimate Apple will earn 61 cents in the March ending quarter, while Apple (AAPL) has forecast earnings in the range of 54 cents to 56 cents a share.
Apple shares rose nearly 3% to $88.63 in midday trading.
In addition, Prudential hiked its gross profit margin forecast to 31.5%, up from 30.5%, due to declining component costs, such as NAND flash and DRAM memory chips used in iPods and PCs. This compares to Apple's gross profit margin forecast of 29.5%.
Last Friday, SanDisk Corp. (SNDK) warned NAND flash prices have tumbled 50% in the past two months. DRAM maker Micron Technology Inc. (MU) also issued a similar warning.
Prudential analyst Jesse Tortora suggested Apple will deliver a solid quarter, with weaker iPod sales being "more than offset by stronger Mac sales and higher margins due to a favorable component cost environment."
The firm, which raised its estimates after meeting with some of Apple's senior management team last week, maintained its neutral rating and $100 price target on the stock.
Prudential boosted its Mac sales forecast to 1.6 million units, up from 1.45 million. It lowered its iPod sales estimate to 9.9 million units, down from 10.4 million. Apple shipped 21 million units in the previous quarter.
On another note, the firm said Apple expects most of its future iPhone sales to happen at its retail stores where consumers can be shown the device's numerous features. The phone, which will use wireless service from Cingular, is set for release in June. |