Apple's Stock Rises for Nine Weeks, Dell Surprises with Earnings
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 17 hours ago
0mins
Source: CNBC
- Apple's Stock Performance: Apple shares have risen for nine consecutive weeks, gaining over 15% in the past month and approximately 24% since March 16, indicating strong market demand and investor confidence.
- Dell's Earnings Surprise: Dell reported an 88% year-over-year revenue growth in its Thursday evening earnings release, with shares soaring nearly 40% in after-hours trading and a total increase of 111% over the past month, showcasing its robust market performance and competitiveness.
- Semiconductor Sector Strength: The VanEck Semiconductor ETF rose 18% in May and has gained 47% over the past three months, with Astera Labs and Micron surging nearly 80% and 78% respectively, reflecting a recovery in the semiconductor industry and investor optimism.
- Nike's Stock Volatility: Nike shares increased by 3% on Thursday and are up nearly 7% in May, yet they are down 40% from the August 2025 high, making it one of the worst performers in the Dow, highlighting market concerns about its future growth.
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Analyst Views on AAPL
Wall Street analysts forecast AAPL stock price to fall
27 Analyst Rating
17 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 312.510
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
Current: 312.510
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
About AAPL
Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. Its product categories include iPhone, Mac, iPad, Wearables, Home and Accessories. Its services include advertising, AppleCare, cloud services, digital content, and payment services. The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts. It also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple News+, and Apple TV+. Its wearables include smartwatches, wireless headphones, and spatial computers. Its products include iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone SE, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro, iPad Pro, iPad Air, AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro and others.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Trade-In Value Increase: Apple has raised the trade-in values for several devices ahead of the Worldwide Developers Conference, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max increasing from $685 to $695, indicating confidence in upcoming product launches.
- iPad Trade-In Adjustments: The trade-in value for the iPad Pro has been raised from $670 to $690, and the iPad Air from $445 to $460, aiming to encourage consumers to upgrade and enhance market competitiveness.
- Mac Device Trade-In Changes: The trade-in value for the MacBook Pro increased from $685 to $690, while the iMac Pro decreased from $325 to $315, reflecting Apple's dynamic adjustments based on market demand to optimize inventory management.
- Smartwatch Trade-In Fluctuations: The trade-in value for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 rose from $295 to $305, although the Apple Watch Ultra dropped to $205 from $215, showcasing the complex competitive landscape in the smartwatch market.
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- Earnings Growth Potential: Meta Platforms has attracted over 3.5 billion users through its social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, leading to significant earnings growth driven by advertising revenue, which is expected to further enhance shareholder returns.
- AI Strategic Investment: Meta's substantial investments in AI, including building data centers and developing large language models, have been successfully integrated into its social media and advertising processes, likely improving ad effectiveness and increasing revenue while strengthening market competitiveness.
- New Revenue Streams: Meta has announced the rollout of consumer subscription plans that allow users to access special features, while also testing AI subscription services for businesses, which will provide a robust new revenue stream and cater to diverse user needs for future growth.
- Valuation Attractiveness: With a price-to-earnings ratio of 19, Meta is currently the cheapest among the Magnificent Seven, reflecting market caution regarding the monetization of its AI investments; however, as AI products are gradually launched, this could represent a key turning point for the stock.
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- AI Investment Returns: Meta Platforms has heavily invested in AI over the past few years, and while it hasn't yet monetized these investments, the gradual application of AI tools in social media and advertising is expected to drive advertising revenue growth, thereby enhancing overall profitability.
- Large User Base: With over 3.5 billion daily users across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta's advertising revenue growth is closely tied to user engagement, providing a stable income source and long-term growth potential for the company.
- New Revenue Streams: Meta has announced the rollout of consumer subscription plans that allow users to access special features while testing AI subscription plans for businesses, which will open new revenue channels and further strengthen its market competitiveness.
- Attractive Valuation: Trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19, Meta is the cheapest among the Magnificent Seven tech stocks, and despite the challenges of a longer return cycle on AI investments, its potential for growth makes it a focal point for investors.
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- Ten-Week Streak: Apple (AAPL) shares are on track for a 10th consecutive weekly gain, marking the first such streak since 2009, reflecting strong market demand and investor confidence that could further drive the stock price upward.
- Technical Breakthrough: AAPL has surpassed a long-standing ascending trendline, which now acts as a support level, and is trading above its 50-, 100-, and 200-week moving averages, indicating a firmly upward trend, although the recent gains appear somewhat stretched.
- Overbought Condition: The relative strength index is nearing 73, suggesting that Apple shares are in overbought territory, prompting investors to monitor whether the stock can maintain the former resistance line as support during any potential pullbacks.
- Historical Record: AAPL closed at $312.51 on Thursday but slightly pulled back to $311.22 by Friday midday; if the current momentum continues, it may challenge the record of 12 consecutive weekly gains set in 2004.
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- Unprecedented Investment: According to Zacks Investment Research senior stock strategist Andrew Rocco, the current investment in the AI sector, particularly in memory chips, has reached unprecedented levels, with companies spending trillions, reflecting strong market demand and confidence in future growth.
- Historical Comparison: Rocco compares the current investment surge to historical events such as the railroad buildout and World War II military expansion, emphasizing that the scale of spending has a significant impact on GDP, indicating that tech companies are actively positioning themselves for future competition.
- Market Drivers: As major tech companies like Nvidia ramp up their investments in AI, the demand for data centers is also increasing, which not only boosts the stock prices of related firms but also fosters technological advancements and market expansion across the industry.
- Intensified Competitive Pressure: Rocco notes that tech companies are investing in AI not just for short-term returns but to maintain a competitive edge, with firms willing to take risks and increase spending rather than fall behind in this technological race.
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- Dividend Increase: Nvidia announced a staggering 2,400% increase in its dividend during its Q1 FY2027 report, raising it from $0.01 to $0.25 per share, which, despite a yield of only 0.5%, indicates a growing commitment to shareholder returns that may attract income-seeking investors.
- Intensifying Competition: With competitors like Cerebras Systems going public, Nvidia's dominance in the GPU market is under pressure, particularly as the AI industry shifts from training to inference, necessitating increased R&D investments to maintain market share and competitive edge.
- R&D Investment Priority: Despite the dividend hike, Nvidia prioritizes R&D, planning to invest heavily in the coming years to support growth in AI, especially after launching its Vera CPU, which is expected to tap into a $200 billion addressable market.
- Long-Term Growth Potential: While Nvidia's dividend profile may not compare favorably to traditional high-dividend stocks, it remains a highly attractive long-term growth stock, with projected CPU revenues of around $20 billion by year-end, capitalizing on the ongoing growth in AI infrastructure spending.
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