Apple's AI Investments: Weekly Assessment by Analysts

Predictions That Could Attract Investors from Analysts

Loop Capital updated its stance on Apple to Buy and raised its price target to $315, citing stronger-than-expected demand for the iPhone 17. This indicates the beginning of a multi-year growth cycle that will last until 2027.

Analysts stated, “We are now at the forefront of AAPL's long-awaited adoption cycle. This suggests an expansion in iPhone shipments that will continue until 2027.” Expectations for three consecutive years of record-breaking iPhone shipments are set with 238 million in 2025, 250 million in 2026, and 260 million in 2027.

Loop Capital analysts emphasized that the average selling prices of iPhones remain “significantly higher” than street estimates, indicating these prices could stay elevated for some time. They predicted iPhone shipments in the previous quarter would reach 56.5 million units, considering this an “outperforming” success.

Barclays urged investors to focus on large-scale leaders like Nvidia, Broadcom, and AMD, noting a more selective approach to companies with direct exposure to artificial intelligence as third-quarter results approach. The bank stated, “We believe we are in the early stages of the investment cycle,” cautioning that some stocks may have already priced in the full benefits of AI distribution.

Analysts downgraded Marvell Technology, Astera Labs, and Lumentum to Equal Weight, expressing that the risk/reward ratios of these companies are less attractive compared to other AI-related stocks.

On the other hand, KLA Corp. was upgraded to Overweight, presenting a positive long-term outlook due to the increase in process control intensity.

Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh raised the price target for Broadcom to $435, linking this increase to new AI growth engines arising from partnerships with Anthropic and OpenAI. Rakesh noted, “Anthropic has become Broadcom's fourth-largest customer and could generate approximately $10 billion in revenue from AI servers in the second half of 2026.”

Spotify was added to Morgan Stanley’s list of top picks, with mentions of accelerating growth and strong pricing power supported by artificial intelligence. Analysts indicated that Spotify’s recently launched new pricing cycle could enhance growth momentum.

SailPoint was rated Outperform by Wolfe Research, with a target price set at $27 for 2026. Analysts pointed out that the transition from a corporate customer-focused strategy to a cloud-based model would create significant opportunities in governance management.