Should You Bet on Apple-Heavy ETFs Now?

Apple AAPL shares are down about 3.3% year to date and do not reflect the momentum that the tech giant is witnessing currently. Since the start of August, AAPL has surged around 18% and the strength continues in September, with the stock gaining about 3.8% month to date.Next week, Apple will hold its annual fall event, with the highly anticipated iPhone 17 Air expected to take center stage.What to Expect at Apple’s Fall Event Next WeekAir will be a slimmer version of the iPhone, introducing some of the most significant changes to Apple’s flagship product in years, per Mark Gurman, as quoted on Yahoo Finance, potentially causing the sales of the iPhone to rise in the coming period.However, the new iPhone model is expected to face several hurdles, including an estimated price hike and the absence of premium camera features, which may deter consumers from upgrading to the new model. Additionally, the slimmer design could also result in a smaller battery for Air, another potential drawback for the device.Nonetheless, according to Gene Munster, irrespective of the potential headwinds, the tech giant should witness a rise in smartphone sales, partly driven by consumers looking to upgrade their phones, as quoted on Yahoo Finance.Per Munster, iPhone sales grew 39% year over year in 2021, which leaves a sizable pool of consumers waiting to potentially upgrade to iPhone 17.Google Court Win Spills Over to AppleAccording to CNBC, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, on Wednesday, overruled the harsh penalties proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) against Google, which would have forced the tech giant to divest Chrome.According to a Yahoo Finance article, the federal court’s ruling allows Google to keep paying Apple $20 billion annually to remain the default iPhone search engine, which boosted AAPL shares. According to another Yahoo Finance article, Apple records the payment by Google under its Services segment, which generated $96.2 billion last year, and the $20 billion payment accounted for about 20.8% of Apple’s Services revenues.The article states that the $20 billion figure comes from 2022 antitrust court documents and may be higher in subsequent years. According to Erik Woodring of Morgan Stanley, as quoted on Yahoo Finance, Apple could see long-term gains from the court’s decision.Jim Cramer, as quoted on CNBC, also sees the court ruling as a win for Apple, helping to ease Wall Street’s concerns about the tech giant unveiling a strong AI strategy. Apple, which has over 1 billion active iPhone users, will not be pressured to strike a multibillion-dollar deal with an AI firm, according to Cramer. Instead, major chatbot players will now compete for Apple’s attention.Foundation Behind the StockApple currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR)of 2.04 on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations made by 38 brokerage firms. The current ABR compares to an ABR of 2.01 a month ago based on 37 recommendations.Out of the 38 recommendations driving the current ABR, 19 are Strong Buy and two are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy, respectively, account for 50% and 5.26% of all recommendations. A month ago, Strong Buy made up 51.35%, while Buy represented 5.41%, indicating that the majority of the analysts remain bullish.Based on short-term price targets offered by 33 analysts, the average price target for Apple comes to $235.44, with the forecasts ranging from a low of $139.00 to a high of $300.00.Currently, AAPL stock is priced at $238.47 (as of market close on Sept. 3) and has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), along with a Momentum Score of B.ETFs to ConsiderInvestors should keep a close eye on the shares of the tech giant, looking to assess how consumers react to the launch. Market expectations for the iPhone 17 launch next week appear mixed, and the true impact will only be clear once the phone is launched next week.Here, we have highlighted ETFs with exposure to Apple.iShares U.S. Technology ETF IYW has an exposure of 14.64%.iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF TOPT has an exposure of 13.57%.Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund XLK has an exposure of 13.19%.Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF FTEC has an exposure of 12.72%.Vanguard Information Technology ETF VGT has an exposure of 12.71%.Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF InsightsZacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.Don’t miss out on this valuable resource. It’s free!Get it 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 Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK): ETF Research Reports Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF (FTEC): ETF Research Reports iShares U.S. Technology ETF (IYW): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT): ETF Research Reports iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF (TOPT): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks