Apple ($AAPL) after Q3-2025 - Thoughts
Current earnings
- Revenue $94.0B, +10% YoY; diluted EPS $1.57, +12% YoY. June-quarter records for revenue, iPhone, and EPS. Services hit a new all-time high.
- Product mix highlights: iPhone ~$44.6B (+13%), Mac ~$8.0B (+15%), iPad ~$6.6B (–8%), Services ~$27.4B (+13%). Company noted ~$800M tariff impact in the quarter.
MOAT & Future outlook
- Ecosystem lock-in and brand power. Switching costs are high; services deepen stickiness. Installed base at an all-time high, across products and regions.
- Operational discipline under Tim Cook; steady margins and cash generation fund R&D and buybacks.
- Near term: management signaled healthy momentum with record Services and broad-based growth; headwinds include tariffs and intensifying AI competition.
- 10-year view: I model Apple as a mature, high-quality compounder. I assume EPS grows high-single to low-double digits as Services expands, pricing/mix helps, and buybacks continue, tempered by scale and hardware maturity.
My Assumptions
EPS a bit around TTM to reflect normal variability and buyback tailwind. Haircut growth from the 16% 10-yr EPS trend to 7-12% forward due to sheer scale, smartphone maturity, and competitive/AI/tariff risks, while still giving credit for Services and buybacks. Anchoring P/E near the 22–23× 10ymean, with a band to reflect potential multiple drift.
| Metric | Historical | Assumptions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years | Low | Mid | High | |
| Earnings per Share | 6.10 | 5.50 | 4.00 | 6.20 | 6.43 | 6.70 |
| Earnings Growth | –3.4% | 13.6% | 11.1% | 7% | 9% | 12% |
| PE Ratio | 37.3 | 29.9 | 22.9 | 20× | 22× | 25× |
| Discount Rate | – | – | – | 12% | 10% | 8% |
Results
As per my calculation on Screenwich, I am getting a fair price (average) of $170.35 which is much lower than the current price of $207.57.
Wide moat, elite execution, sticky ecosystem, price seems high. At 30× earnings, the market already bakes in solid growth. I would want a margin of safety before sizing up.
Question
Do you think the assumptions make sense? Especially given everything happening with AI, do you think any assumptions should be changed?
Posted Aug 1, 2025, 11:58 AM UTC