Apple Stock Is Surging. The Phone 17 Has Sparked a Rebound.
Sep 22, 2025 08:26:00 -0400 by George Glover | #Technology #Street Notes
Apple CEO Tim Cook holds up a new iPhone 17 Pro. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Key Points
About This Summary
- Wedbush expects a user upgrade cycle to boost Apple sales, with iPhone 17 preorders starting Sept. 12.
- Analyst Dan Ives raised the Apple price target to $310, implying a 26% climb from Friday’s close.
- Ives believes AI monetization could add $75 to $100 per share as Apple integrates AI features.
Apple stock has lagged behind its Magnificent Seven peers this year. But a rebound has started—and it could be due to the iPhone 17, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.
“The Street is clearly underestimating this iPhone cycle in our view…after a few years of disappointing growth,” Ives wrote Sunday in a research note.
Shares climbed 4.1% to $255.65 on Monday, its highest since Dec. 26, 2024. The benchmark S&P 500 was up 0.1%. The stock is down just 1.3% from its all-time closing high of $259.02 reached on the day after Christmas last year.
Created with Highcharts 9.0.1Source: FactSet
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Ives, who’s known for his bullish stances on tech stocks, also raised his price target for shares to $310 from $270. That implies Apple can climb about 26% from its level as of Friday’s close.
The iPhone 17 became available at Apple stores worldwide on Friday. Preorders started on Sept. 12.
Ives said shipping times were signaling strong demand for the new device, and he expects “a pent-up consumer upgrade cycle” to boost sales. Between 315 million and 1.5 billion users around the globe haven’t upgraded their iPhone for the past four years, according to Wedbush estimates.
The stock has trailed Nvidia and Microsoft this year because Apple hasn’t talked about many of its artificial-intelligence initiatives.
Ives, however, expects Apple to cram its new iPhone with several new AI features in future software upgrades, including through its partnerships with Google parent Alphabet and others.
“The AI monetization piece could add $75 to $100 per share to the Apple story over the coming few years as it finally plays out…No ‘AI premium’ is factored into Apple’s stock at current prices which makes this a compelling large cap tech name to own,” he wrote.
Write to George Glover at george.glover@dowjones.com