Apple reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that were in line with expectations
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stepped into the earnings confessional yesterday to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that were in line with Wall Street's estimates, while revenue missed estimates. Supply chain woes put more pressure on the company than expected, costing the FAANG name $6 billion in sales. Plus, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the impact on sales will be worse during the current quarter.
In response, Apple stock was last seen down 3.3% to trade at $147.47, slipping below a recent loor at the $148 level. The shares are also testing short-term support at the 40-day moving average, which could contain today's bear gap. Year-to-date, AAPL is up 10.8%.
Analysts have had mixed reactions to the results. Credit Suisse initiated coverage of AAPL with a "neutral" rating and a $150 price target. Meanwhile, D.A. Davidson cut its price objective to $170 from $175, while Oppenheimer raised it to $170 from $165. The brokerage bunch is bullish towards Apple stock, with 20 firms sporting a "buy" or better, while two say "hold." Plus, the 12-month consensus price target of $169.04 is a 14.6% premium to current levels.
Options traders are taking a greater-than-usual interest in the Big Tech behemoth today, with options volume running at triple the intraday average. The most popular by far is the weekly 10/29 150-strike call, followed by the 148-strike call in the same series, with new positions being opened at both.
Now looks like an affordable time bet on AAPL with options. This is per Apple stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 24%, which sits higher than 19% of all other annual readings.