Buy, Sell or Hold the Apple Stock Ahead of the Sept. 9 Event?

Apple AAPL is set to host a special event on Sept. 9 in which the company will likely launch the latest versions of iPhone. According to a report from Yahoo! Finance that cited Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman, Apple is expected to launch its much-anticipated slimmer iPhone Air in the event. Meanwhile, per CNN, which cited analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is anticipated to “retire the Plus model” from the upcoming portfolio. Apart from the iPhone, Apple may launch the latest version of Watch and AirPod.In terms of software, Apple will make iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26 available, along with a new software design crafted with a material called Liquid Glass. New Apple Intelligence features like Live Translation, updates to visual intelligence, as well as enhancements to Image Playground and Genmoji, will be available with these updates. Powered by Apple Intelligence, Apple Wallet can now automatically identify, summarize and display order tracking details from emails sent from merchants or delivery carriers.In April, Apple expanded the availability of Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4 updates in new languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (simplified), as well as localized English for Singapore and India. By the end of 2025, Apple Intelligence will be available in eight more languages: Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (traditional) and Vietnamese, driving growth opportunities.Growing Adoption of Apple Intelligence to Boost AAPL ProspectsApple is benefiting from the growing adoption of Apple Intelligence that is infused across iPhone, Mac and iPad. The company reported record June quarter revenues in more than two dozen countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Latin America, Western Europe, the Middle East, India and South Asia. The robust performance was driven by double-digit growth across iPhone (13.5% year over year), Mac (14.8%) and Services (13.3%).For iPhone, Apple saw double-digit growth in emerging markets, including India, the Middle East, South Asia and Brazil. Services grew double-digit in both developed and emerging markets. Apple Intelligence is playing a key role in driving this growth, thanks to the addition of more than 20 features that include visual intelligence, cleanup and powerful writing tools.Apple shares have appreciated 17.5% in the past month, driven by robust third-quarter fiscal 2025 results, a steady outlook despite tariff-related headwinds and increasing U.S. investments (currently $600 billion). Although Apple continues to play catch-up in the AI domain against Amazon AMZN, Microsoft MSFT and Alphabet GOOGL, the growing adoption of Apple Intelligence reflects encouraging progress. Year to date (YTD), Apple shares have edged down 4.7%, underperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s return of 14.1% and the peer trio. YTD, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon shares have appreciated 19.9%, 21.9% and 3.1%, respectively.Apple Stock’s YTD Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research AAPL shares are now trading above the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating a bullish trend.AAPL Trades Above 50-day & 200-day SMAs Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Apple’s Q4 Revenues to Grow Amid Tariff ThreatsAAPL expects the September quarter’s (fourth-quarter fiscal 2025) net sales to grow in the mid to high-single digit on a year-over-year basis. The company expects the Services segment year-over-year growth rate to be similar to that of the June quarter.Tariffs are currently expected to have a negative impact of $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Apple expects a gross margin between 46% and 47% for the current quarter compared with a gross margin of 46.5% in the fiscal third quarter.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Apple’s fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 revenues is pegged at $100.8 billion, indicating 6.19% growth over the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. The consensus mark for earnings has increased by a penny to $1.74 per share over the past 30 days, indicating 6.1% growth from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.Apple Inc. Price and Consensus  Apple Inc. price-consensus-chart | Apple Inc. QuoteAAPL Shares Are OvervaluedApple’s stock is not so cheap, as the Value Score of F suggests a stretched valuation at this moment.AAPL is trading at a forward 12-month price/sales (P/S) of 8.28X compared with the sector’s 6.65X, Amazon’s 3.19X and Alphabet’s 7.7X. However, Microsoft’s P/S of 11.4X is higher than that of Apple.Apple Stock’s Valuation Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Here is Why AAPL is a Hold NowApple’s iPhone sales are expected to benefit from upcoming launches and growing adoption of Apple Intelligence features. The company’s investments in expanding its manufacturing footprint in the United States are expected to help lower tariff-related headaches. Investors already holding AAPL shares should continue to do so based on these factors. However, stretched valuation and stiff competition in the smartphone segment are concerning for prospective investors.AAPL currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), suggesting that it may be wise to wait for a more favorable entry point in the stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge GainsQuantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power.Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks