4. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Funds Investors: 158
Jim Cramer in a latest program on CNBC talked about the impact of DeepSeek on top AI stocks in the US. Cramer said major US tech companies spent billions of dollars on Nvidia chips but the DeepSeek breakthrough potentially proved that high-performance AI systems could be built using affordable chips. He said Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the only company that did not spend a fortune to buy AI chips, which saves it from the potential negative impact of the Chinese technology.
“Apple’s the only one that hasn’t spent fortunes paying Nvidia for the life blood of the AI platform. They always figured they could just license the technology from somebody else, given their massive user base. Yes, Apple didn’t have to spend tens of billions of dollars on these warehouses full of servers, so its stock hangs in there, irrespective of potential tariffs from Chinese components, which seem to also include Taiwanese components. It looks like if the punitive government of China goes after them, well, anyway, President Trump has so far been okay, and he has not hurt them.”
Apple’s latest quarterly results were helped by Services revenue in the latest quarter, but the key challenges haunting the company remain as they were. Many analysts believe just a few AI apps would not be enough to trigger a broader upgrade cycle for iPhone. Apple is dealing with currency headwinds as the stronger US dollar is expected to reduce top-line growth by 2.5% next quarter. For Q2 FY2025, management expects overall revenue to grow in the low to mid-single digits. Apple’s stock is trading at a premium valuation, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 39-40x, a price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of 33-34x, and a PEG ratio exceeding 3x. Upcoming quarters would be difficult for Apple and its current valuation is not justified.
Tsai Capital stated the following regarding Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“We initiated our investment in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in 2016 and elevated it to a core holding in 2018, the same year the company introduced its redesigned 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models. Under Tim Cook’s visionary leadership, Apple has consistently redefined innovation in hardware and software.
The September 2024 launch of the iPhone 16, with its groundbreaking AI capabilities, including enhanced image generation tools, marks another inflection point. We believe this transformative device is the foundation for an AI-driven supercycle and could entice approximately 100 million consumers to upgrade, reinforcing Apple’s leadership in the industry.
Today, Apple’s ecosystem spans over two billion active devices, supported by a rapidly-growing base of subscription services. This strategy has helped to turbocharge customer engagement and spending. In the most recent fiscal year, which ended in September 2024, Apple’s high-margin services division accounted for 39.3% of total gross profits, up from 32.8% just two years ago.
Apple’s financial footing remains exceptional, with approximately $50 billion in net cash and marketable securities. Looking ahead, we expect earnings-per-share growth to outpace revenue growth, driven by margin expansion and continued share buybacks.”
