Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

BMO: Apple may post huge Q4 miss

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:29PM EST
BGR

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Apple crushed Wall Street’s estimates this past April when it reported that its fiscal second-quarter profit had ballooned 94% over the same quarter a year prior to $11.6 billion on $39.2 billion in sales. Apple’s third-quarter earnings are on tap later this month and while analysts wonder how well iPhone sales held up during the June quarter, one analyst is already looking to the September quarter and seeing trouble on the horizon.

BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman wrote in a research note on Tuesday that Apple’s second and third fiscal quarters could be “challenging,” Barron’s reports. While the world waits for a new iPhone to launch in September or October, Bachman notes that Apple’s performance may slow. He still reiterates an Outperform rating on Apple stock and he even raised his price target to $700 from $695, but he sees Apple potentially posting a massive miss for its final quarter of the fiscal year.

Bachmann thinks slowing iPhone sales and lower than expected Mac sales stunted by the success of the iPad could see Apple pull in $33 billion in revenue during the September quarter, well below Wall Street’s $38.5 billion consensus. He doesn’t see the miss impacting Apple’s stock for very long however, as investors will see the upcoming launch of Apple’s next iPhone as a huge boost.

“We think investors are well aware of the product cycle, and likely negative revision to near-term estimates,” Bachmann wrote. “Moreover, we think Apple shares will respond in a positive way to the pending launch of the new iPhone, as we look to year-end. If Apple is able to launch the new iPhone in the month of September, then actual unit shipments in the September Q will be less relevant, as management and investors will focus on the momentum of the new iPhone.”

Shares of Apple stock are down just under 1% today to $608.37.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.