Core Viewpoint - Apple Inc is experiencing positive momentum with a new partnership with Google and strong expectations for first-quarter financial results, supported by analyst optimism [1][2] Group 1: Analyst Insights - Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan maintains a Buy rating on Apple stock with a price target of $325, indicating confidence in the company's performance [1] - Mohan anticipates strong iPhone sales and expanding gross margins for both the December and March quarters, suggesting a bullish outlook ahead of earnings [2] - The analyst expects first-quarter revenue to exceed estimates, driven by robust iPhone sales and double-digit growth in Services revenue [2] Group 2: iPhone Sales Projections - Mohan estimates that Apple sold 85 million iPhones in the first fiscal quarter, an increase of 2 million units from previous estimates, and raises the second-quarter estimate to 54 million units [3] - Year-over-year iPhone revenue growth is projected at 17% for the first quarter, marking one of the best quarters for the smartphone [3] Group 3: Future Catalysts and Challenges - Looking ahead to 2026, rising memory costs are identified as a potential challenge, but deemed manageable [4] - Key upcoming catalysts include the launch of a foldable iPhone in the fall and an enhanced Siri integrated with Gemini AI, which could drive higher upgrade rates [4] Group 4: Investor Sentiment - Current investor sentiment towards Apple stock is relatively negative, attributed to higher memory costs affecting the tech sector [5] - Apple is currently underweight in investor portfolios, but this trend is expected to reverse in the coming year [5] - As of Monday, Apple stock is trading at $260.25, up 0.34%, with an 11.3% increase over the last 52 weeks [5]