We recently published a list of the 12 Best Stocks to Buy in 2025 for Beginners. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stands against other best beginner stocks to buy in 2025.
Stock Market Outlook for 2025
On December 12, Tom Lee, Fundstrat Global Advisors managing partner and head of research, appeared on CNBC to talk about his 2025 playbook. After two years of significant market gains, Lee’s playbook painted an optimistic yet cautious outlook for the stock market in 2025. He anticipated that the S&P 500 would rise to approximately 7,000 by mid-2025 before retreating to around 6,600 by the end of the year. This highlights an overall expected increase of about 8% for the year, consistent with historical averages for stock market returns.
Furthermore, Lee estimated the Earnings Per Share (EPS) for the S&P 500 to be around $260 in 2025, going up to $300 in 2026. These numbers are slightly below the Wall Street consensus estimates, which show an average of around $268 for 2025. Talking about his investment thesis, Lee believed several themes could bring a positive trajectory in the market in 2025. In his own Dickensian version, he predicted a “tale of two halves,” where the first half of 2025 is expected to see strong market performance, with a potential pullback in the second half. The positive first-half performance is attributed to factors such as market-friendly initiatives under President Trump’s administration and Federal Reserve policies. The pullback in the second half of 2025 reflects historical trends after strong consecutive years.
READ ALSO: 12 Undervalued Defensive Stocks for 2025 and 10 Best Soaps and Cleaning Materials Stocks to Invest In.
Mega Cap Companies: Is There Potential?
Lee was of the opinion that the small-cap sector may have potential even though it has historically underperformed relative to large-cap stocks. He also talked about mega-cap companies and how they’re leading, mentioning that investors typically reach for these companies when there is even a possibility of risk in the market. In addition, mega-cap stocks are highly sensitive to falling interest rates. Since the tech market is bullish after the December rate cut is in effect, the investment case for megacaps is further strengthening.
However, despite an overall positive outlook, Lee acknowledged that several risks may impact market performance. For instance, he was of the view that the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) could potentially lead to reduced government spending and slower economic growth if it is too effective in cutting costs. Furthermore, the implementation of tariffs poses another concern, as tariffs can adversely affect corporate profits and financial conditions. Lee’s pointing out of historical patterns showed that after two years of considerable gains, markets are prone to decline in the latter half of the third year.
Our Methodology
We sifted through stock screeners, online rankings, and ETFs to compile a list of 40 blue chip companies with a 10-year revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 7%-15%. We then selected the top 12 stocks most popular among elite hedge funds. We sourced hedge fund data from Insider Monkey’s database. The stocks are sorted in ascending order of the number of hedge fund holders that have stakes in them, as of Q3 2024.
Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A wide view of an Apple store, showing the range of products the company offers.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
10-year Revenue CAGR: 7.90%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 158
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) designs, manufactures, and sells smartphones, personal computers, wearables, accessories, and other related products and services. Its operations span across the globe. The company’s stock has gained considerable value over the past few years, with its stock price up 262% over the last five years.
The company is experiencing some turbulence, especially due to its position in China. According to Reuters, Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) annual shipments declined by 17% in China in fiscal year 2024, with a 25% decline in fiscal Q4 2024 alone. The company now has a 15% market share in China. Despite this setback, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is growing its earnings, primarily due to strength in its services segment. It posted a revenue of $94.9 billion in fiscal Q4 2024, reflecting a 6% increase compared to last year’s quarter. Analysts expect 2025 to be a robust year for the company, with a 6% forecasted growth rate.
Furthermore, with more than 2.2 billion Apple devices worldwide, Apple Inc., (NASDAQ:AAPL) has an expansive platform for AI services. It is set to reveal several of its new Apple Intelligence features in fiscal 2025 and may explore AI-driven subscription services, which could translate to further revenue potential for the company.
CDT Capital Management stated the following regarding Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“The crowd. While this evolution in AI is going to change the world, market expectations for the technology have become unhinged. The crowd, which is more like an exuberant mob, anointed the Mag 7 with spectacular, nonsensical valuations based on the premise that AI will be an amazing, money-printing growth engine for these companies – and the truth is it likely will be. The problem is that the math just isn’t mathing.
Let me explain what I mean by picking on the world’s most valuable stock, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). For background, Apple does not have a robust homegrown AI platform, nor does it have a plan to meaningfully monetize AI from Apple users. Right now, from our perspective, Apple’s, Apple Intelligence strategy of implementing third-party AI tools to stay competitive will likely be more of a cost of doing business than an avenue for sales and yet in 2024, the stock soared +33% based on the AI dream as exemplified by the quote below.
“A golden era of growth for Cupertino is now on the horizon into 2025.”..” (Click here to read the full text)
Overall, AAPL ranks 3rd on our list of the 12 best stocks to buy in 2025 for beginners. While we acknowledge the potential of AAPL, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AAPL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
