AAPL Stock: Did Apple Inc. Reveal “Top Secret” Game Plan?
Good News for Apple Stock?
If you’ve taken a year or two away from the stock market, you may be wondering why Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is down in the dumps. After all, Apple stock (AAPL) only grew by 4.4% over the last 12 months, which is measly compared to earlier years. What’s holding back AAPL stock?
The answer is pretty simple: “iPhone” sales.
AAPL stock investors are upset that smartphone sales fell last quarter because… well, that’s never happened before. The iPhone was so successful that sales went up for 13 straight years. So it made sense that a sudden drop would wreak havoc on Apple stock, but don’t that pessimism blind you.
Sprint Communications Inc., T-Mobile, and AT&T (NYSE:T) all report that the new “iPhone 7” is selling like hotcakes. Apparently no one really cares about the missing headphone jack; they’re more curious than anything else. (Source: “IPhone 7 preorders at Sprint are almost 5 times higher than last year’s 6s,” CNBC, September 20, 2016.)
Those leaked reports from mobile carriers helped push AAPL stock up 9.3%, from $103.13 to $112.64 at the time of writing. But that’s not the only reason to be bullish on Apple stock.
There’s an important factor that no one seems to talk about…
Apple’s “top secret” plan could play a starring role in the future of AAPL stock; it could drive Apple stock up to $150.0, $175.0, or even $200.0. Since the firm’s market cap is hovering at $607.28 billion, this would make Apple the first company to be valued above $1.0 trillion.
Believe me, this little-known division of Apple could one day become the company’s biggest cash cow…
AAPL Stock Goes Corporate
So what is this “top secret” plan?
The best way to answer that question is by looking at a deal that Apple signed last week. Last Wednesday, the smartphone maker finalized a partnership with Deloitte, one of the biggest accounting firms in the world. Deloitte also launched a program to push its clients toward Apple products.
The deal looked like small potatoes at first blush. About 5,000 Deloitte employees will be involved in the program, meaning they’ll have enterprise versions of the iPhone. (Source: “Apple Deepens Enterprise Push With Deloitte Partnership,” Fortune, September 28, 2016.)
But zoom all the way out and look at the big picture.
Apple also signed deals with International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), and SAP SE (ADR) (NYSE:SAP). I see these companies as doorways to the corporate world, so it could be that Apple is making a play for the enterprise market. They want corporations to use its software too.
But don’t just take my word for it; listen to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
“What’s needed now is more of a focus on transforming the enterprise and helping businesses identify which areas have the highest either return on investment or highest impact on customer satisfaction,” said Cook. “Deloitte is well positioned for this.”
There hasn’t been a dominant mobile provider to corporate America since the reign of BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY). High-level corporate executives, government officials, and billionaires all used BlackBerry phones, but then Apple came along. It started a revolution with the iPhone series, which ultimately led to the rise of “Android” phones and the destruction of BlackBerry stock.
Now Apple is back to claim its spoils. It wants to become a major supplier of corporate technology, because those contracts are potentially worth billions of dollars.
That kind of bold action is needed because Apple is the biggest company in the world. It takes a lot of new revenue to move the needle on AAPL stock. As such, investors should take comfort in this “top secret” plan to capture the corporate technology market.
There’s no doubt that it could be a major catalyst for Apple stock.
