Ahead of earnings next week on Tuesday , chart watching - support at 350 - 375 seems next key area....
Market talk that Microsoft (MST) CEO Ballmer to go to Apple (AAPL) - Unconfirmed
'Market talk’ – Signifies information that has not been formally tested through traditional journalistic channels and therefore is to be treated as unsubstantiated. Any interpretation of the talk is taken at the readers own risk and is a representation of the rumours within the market place and never generated by ourselves.
Update details:
- There has been market talk in recent weeks that Ballmer could leave Microsoft as CEO.
- Over the weekend Forbes wrote “Is Apple secretly searching for a new chief executive to replace Tim Cook?” According to sources, some executives say such a move is afoot, although there’s yet no available evidence that the board is officially in such a game-changing mode.
- Over the weekend Forbes wrote “Is Apple secretly searching for a new chief executive to replace Tim Cook?” According to sources, some executives say such a move is afoot, although there’s yet no available evidence that the board is officially in such a game-changing mode.
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-foxconn-barclays-2013-4
( If true , clearly this would not be good news.. )
Apple Is Losing Important, Trustworthy Executives At Foxconn, Says Barclays
Recently, Barclays Asia ex-Japan IT Hardware Analyst Kirk Yang noted that Hon Hai’s head of iDPBG (which makes all the iPhones, and is Hon Hai’s most profitable business group), Michael Chung, has been on long leaves since late 2012. The No. 2 person in the iDPBG business group, Chung Cheng-Yu (CY Chung), who was the interim head during Michael Chung’s absence, also left the company in late March. Chen Hui-Long, the current head of the business group, came from outside the iDPBG business group and does not have experience dealing with Apple (products, personnel, engineering, etc), Hon Hai’s No. 1 and most profitable customer. Yang believes these changes could cause potential operating risks for Hon Hai. As a result, Apple may need to address these issues and the plan to make its production process more reliable.
This is pretty wild gossip that we've never heard before. Reitzes notes that Apple had some manufacturing problems with the iPhone, iPad Mini, and new iMacs which hurt sales.
http://www.businessinsider.com/barclays-how-apple-could-go-to-340-2013-4
This Is What It Would Take For Apple To Collapse To $340
On Friday, Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes lowered his price target to $465 from $535.
In the note explaining the $465 price target, he laid out a doomsday-type scenario that would lead to Apple's stock
breaking down further and reaching $340 a share.
breaking down further and reaching $340 a share.
In his opinion, it's all about margins.
If Apple's gross margins crashed to 33%, down from 38.6% last quarter, he thinks the stock tanks.
The gross margins would collapse if Apple was forced to lower the price of the iPad and the iPhone to fend off competition in the market.
He also speculates that Apple could run into manufacturing problems with Foxconn, and TSMC.
Reitzes says that Apple had supply problems with the iPhone 5 because its "incell" screen technology was difficult to manufacture. He also says there were issues with the aluminum casings getting scratched. He also notes that Apple couldn't supply iPad Minis or iMacs initially.
He says, "The rather pervasive level of these constraints seems increasingly supportive of the view that Apple is struggling to properly execute of late."
If Apple's next wave of products suffers from production issues, it will hit the company's margins.
He also says Apple plans "to fully transition away from Samsung to TSMC for application processors." This could lead to complications if TSMC can't meet Apple's needs. If Apple can't sell products to users, then he thinks users could opt for a rival platform.
One other risk for Apple — losing executives. Right now, the executive team is fairly solid and has guided Apple through its glory years. If Apple were to lose those people it would be a negative for the stock.
This is, again, the worst case scenario.
Reitzes thinks Apple's margins actually go to 36%. He thinks Apple mixes in lower cost iPads and iPhones which hit the margin. He thinks growth slows down and the stock goes to $465.
iPads and iPhones which hit the margin. He thinks growth slows down and the stock goes to $465.and.....
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ta?s=AAPL&t=2y&l=on&z=l&q=l&p=&a=&c=
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/04/18/4-things-that-can-go-wrong-for-apple-next-week.aspx
4 Things That Can Go Wrong for Apple Next Week
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) isn't doing very well these days.
The stock broke below $400 on Wednesday, and today the shares are trading at their lowest level since late 2011.
The bearish trend comes just as the consumer tech giant is ready to report quarterly results next Tuesday. At prices this low, one would think that even ho-hum news will be applauded by the market next week, but things can always get worse.
Let's go over a few things that can send this already battered stock even lower.
1. Earnings can fall short of expectations -- again
Investors have known for months that Apple will be reporting lower quarterly earnings -- something that hasn't happened in 10 years.
Investors have known for months that Apple will be reporting lower quarterly earnings -- something that hasn't happened in 10 years.
The vinegar salt in the wound is that analysts have been scrambling to lower their profit expectations in recent weeks. As secondhand reports suggest a softening of tablet, smartphone, and PC sales, projections have been hosed down.
Wall Street's betting on a profit of $10.13 a share out of Apple. The target was $10.18 a share last month, $10.24 a share two months ago, and $11.84 a share three months ago.
Since the trend is heading lower, it means that the fresher updates have been negative. This suggests that Apple may miss on the bottom line, and that in of itself wouldn't be a surprise. Apple has missed Wall Street's income estimates in three of the past five quarters. It would still be a blow to some bulls lamenting the days of Steve Jobs when Apple would consistently trounce the market.
2. Revenue growth can decelerate too fast The bearish case against Apple revolves largely around deteriorating margins, so even worrywarts may not realize that analysts now see Apple's top line growing in the single digits this quarter. Wall Street's eyeing just 8.9% in revenue growth to $42.68 billion.
A miss here would probably be even more catastrophic than a sharper decline in profitability.
Did you see Nokia (NYSE: NOK ) today? The wireless handset pioneer was crushed after reporting quarterly results. It actually beat expectations on the bottom line by posting a narrower deficit than what analysts were projecting. The rub at Nokia is that shipments and revenue fell well short of market forecasts.
Even if Apple delivers on the bottom line, if revenue comes in weak, you can expect a fresh wave of analyst downgrades as Apple's relevance takes another hit.
3. Apple may not raise its dividend
Apple has more cash on its balance sheet than any other company, but it's been stingy.
Apple has more cash on its balance sheet than any other company, but it's been stingy.
A cascading share price has helped prop its yield above 2.6%, but investors believe that Apple should just crack open its billfold to push its quarterly dividend even higher. At the very least, Apple should be aggressively buying back its stock at this point.
If Apple doesn't push up its payouts, investors will wonder why it's being so protective of its dormant cash. Even if it has to take a repatriation tax hit by bringing some of its overseas cash home, Apple not putting its money where its mouth is here and returning money to shareholders would be a disappointment.
4. Innovation in hibernation
Revolutionary products have gotten Apple out of lulls in the past, but what will the next iPod, iPhone, or iPad be? We know that Apple isn't out of ideas, but what if potential catalysts are delayed?
Revolutionary products have gotten Apple out of lulls in the past, but what will the next iPod, iPhone, or iPad be? We know that Apple isn't out of ideas, but what if potential catalysts are delayed?
Apple has to realize that there's a crisis among investors here.
If the tech bellwether can't at least suggest that there are reinforcements of the iOS army on the way, why would anyone believe that Google isn't cornering the market?
It's merely a coincidence that Apple will report just days before seven domestic wireless carriers begin stocking the bar-raising Samsung Galaxy S4. This is the part where the preacher at a church wedding turns to the crowd, asking them if anyone has a reason why a smartphone buyer shouldn't hook up with Samsung's new Android-fueled smartphone. It's not a moment for Apple to be silent.
If there was ever a time for Apple to give shareholders and consumers hope, Tuesday afternoon would be it.
The clock's ticking higher. The shares are ticking lower. Something's got to give.
Got Apple? Get smart.
There's no doubt that Apple is at the center of technology's largest revolution ever, and that longtime shareholders have been handsomely rewarded with over 1,000% gains. However, there is a debate raging as to whether Apple remains a buy. The Motley Fool's senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, Eric Bleeker, is prepared to fill you in on both reasons to buy and reasons to sell Apple, and what opportunities are left for the company (and your portfolio) going forward. To get instant access to his latest thinking on Apple, simply click here now.
There's no doubt that Apple is at the center of technology's largest revolution ever, and that longtime shareholders have been handsomely rewarded with over 1,000% gains. However, there is a debate raging as to whether Apple remains a buy. The Motley Fool's senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, Eric Bleeker, is prepared to fill you in on both reasons to buy and reasons to sell Apple, and what opportunities are left for the company (and your portfolio) going forward. To get instant access to his latest thinking on Apple, simply click here now.
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