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Should Investors Buy the Post Earnings Dip in Apple Stock?

Amid heightened market volatility, investors may notice Apple’s (AAPL - Free Report)  stock has dipped nearly 5% since reporting very favorable results for its fiscal first quarter last Thursday. 

Despite surpassing top and bottom line expectations, tariff concerns along with the unexpected rise of "superior" AI infrastructure from Chinese company DeepSeek have led to a broader selloff. 

That said, let's see if it's time to buy the post-earnings dip in Apple stock or if the company’s exposure to China will lead to more short-term risk.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

Apple's Record Q1 Results

Apple’s Q1 sales rose 4% year over year to an all-time high of $124.3 billion which edged estimates of $124 billion. Driven by iPad and MacBook growth, Product revenue was up 2% to $98 billion with Apple Services revenue spiking 14% to a record $26.3 billion.

Furthermore, Apple’s Q1 earnings spiked 10% to a record $2.40 per share versus EPS of $2.18 in the comparative quarter. This also topped the Zack EPS Consensus of $2.36.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

China Risk & DeepSeek Concerns

With Donald Trump back in office, the ensuing increase in tariffs against China puts Apple at the forefront of American companies that could be affected by retaliatory efforts. To that point, China has already implemented several regulations that have impacted Apple’s expansion in the People’s Republic such as stricter export controls and banning the use of the iPhone by government officials and employees at state-owned enterprises.

Notably, Apple’s revenue in its Greater China segment fell 11% during Q1 to $18.51 billion compared to $20.81 billion a year ago. It’s also noteworthy that this noticeably missed the Zacks Consensus of $22.16 billion by -16% as shown in the geographic surprise chart below. Another concern is that the rumored wizardry of the DeekSeek free AI-Chatbot may take away from the exuberance of Apple Intelligence and slow sales for the upgraded product line of iPhones in China.

However, Apple’s international expansion outside of China could help offset these risks with the company highlighting that it achieved record revenue records in the Americas, Japan, and the rest of Asia Pacific.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

Apple’s Revenue Guidance

Offering loose guidance for Q2, Apple expects low to mid-single digit revenue growth with the Zacks Consensus currently at $93.94 billion or 3% growth (Current QTR below). Based on Zacks estimates, Apple's total sales are now expected to increase 4% in fiscal 2025 and are projected to rise another 8% in FY26 to $443.07 billion.

Zacks projections call for 8% EPS growth this year with Apple’s annual earnings forecasted to jump another 13% in FY26 to $8.31 per share.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

Final Thoughts

Landing a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), there could be better buying opportunities ahead for Apple stock amid recent tariff concerns especially as it relates to China.

DeekSeek could be an underlying threat in this region as well but Apple’s global market dominance and growth trajectory still makes the tech giant a suitable investment for long-term investors.


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