Apple gains after Morgan Stanley calls stock 'top pick' for AI efforts
July 15 (Reuters) -Apple's AAPL.O shares rose about 2% on Monday after Morgan Stanley raised its price target on the iPhone maker's shares and designated the stock as a "top pick," citing the company's AI efforts as a boost to device sales.
In what was seen as a move to catch up with Alphabet's GOOGL.O Google and Microsoft-backed MSFT.O OpenAI, the iPad maker last month unveiled Apple Intelligence, luring customers to upgrade their devices to be able to use the new technology.
Apple's shares, which have jumped nearly 20% this year, rose to $235.37 before the bell, giving the company a market value of about $3.6 trillion, the highest in the world.
"Apple Intelligence is a clear catalyst to boost iPhone and iPad shipments," Morgan Stanley analysts said.
The new technology is compatible with only 8% of iPhone and iPad devices and Apple has 1.3 billion units of smartphones currently in use by customers, the analysts said, adding that the company could sell nearly 500 million iPhones over the next two years.
Morgan Stanley, which previously expected Apple to sell between 230 million and 235 million iPhones annually over the next two years, raised its price target on the company's shares to $273 from $216.
The stock has an average rating of "buy" with a median price target of $217, and has outperformed the S&P 500 index .SPX this year, according to LSEG data.
Industry analysts expect Samsung 005930.KS and Apple to lead the charge in global smartphone market recovery this year given the buzz around GenAI-enabled smartphones.
Apple sold 45.2 million smartphones globally in the three months ending June, up from 44.5 million a year earlier, but its market share fell to 15.8% from 16.6% in the same period, according to IDC data.
Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta
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