Apple investors simply received one more reason to be bullish on the inventory. Early indications level to promising demand for the brand new iPhone 17 and 17 Pro fashions, in addition to the newly launched Air, which sits proper within the center on worth and specs. The information Analysts at JPMorgan and Bank of America stated that lead instances for the most recent iPhones are monitoring higher than across the identical time final 12 months when the iPhone 16 fashions had been unveiled and pre-orders opened. Jefferies’ early checks had been a bit of an outlier. Lead instances observe how lengthy it takes from when a buyer locations an order for a tool to once they get it. So, longer lead instances usually mean stronger demand. JPMorgan discovered that international lead instances for the iPhone 17, Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max averaged 14, 7, 15, and 24 days, respectfully, since pre-orders began on Sept. 12. Last 12 months’s lead instances for the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max averaged 5, 2, 14, and 21 days, respectively. “In tracking delivery lead-times across key markets, including US, China, Germany, and UK as an indicator of demand, while it is still very early days, lead-times for delivery are indicating that demand for all the new variants launched on Sep 9th is tracking modestly ahead of iPhone 16 Series during Week 1 (e.g., Pre-Order Week),” the analysts stated in a observe to purchasers Sunday. JPMorgan reiterated its buy-equivalent ranking on shares and $255 worth goal. Bank of America analysts shared comparable sentiments, reiterating their purchase name on Apple inventory, too. “Our tracking of iPhone ship dates on Apple’s own website, and various carrier websites, indicates that as of Sep 15th (3 days after preorders started on Fri Sep 12th), ship time (in days) for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models are extended compared to last year at this point in the pre-order cycle,” the analysts, who’ve a $270 worth goal on Apple, stated in a Monday observe. Jefferies highlighted a shiny spot for iPhone 17 demand in Apple’s second-largest market, China. Analysts pointed to early success for the iPhone 17 base, which is inexpensive than the opposite new iPhone 17 fashions. “The iPhone 17 base seems to be a big hit in China, which is not surprising,” wrote the analysts, who’ve a maintain ranking and practically $206 worth goal on Apple inventory. “Our tracking of lead time indicates the 17 base model hit 10-13 days in China at the start of the pre-order, and stretched to 15-19 days on the 2nd day. Last year, the lead time for 16 base model was zero.” The analysts stated that this was doubtless pushed by Apple’s worth reduce to the mannequin versus the iPhone 16 base, and extra subsidies from the Chinese authorities. To be certain, not like BofA and JPMorgan, Jefferies discovered that lead instances within the different main markets, such because the U.S., had been a lot shorter than final 12 months. So a lot in order that Jefferies analysts stated that this might suggest a draw back threat to their iPhone gross sales estimates. Big image Shares of Apple superior for a 3rd straight session on Monday, following the largely optimistic Wall Street lead-time chatter and a broad market rally after President Donald Trump stated the commerce talks with China had been going effectively. With the September quarter drawing to a detailed in about two weeks, the inventory’s quarter-to-date beneficial properties exceeded 15%. The S & P 500 has elevated 6.5% quarter to this point. However, zooming out, Apple nonetheless has work to do to shake its 5.7% year-to-date decline versus the S & P 500’s 12%-plus acquire in 2025. AAPL .SPX YTD mountain Apple vs. S & P 500 YTD efficiency Apple’s spectacular run in August and into early September adopted CEO Tim Cook asserting a lift within the firm’s U.S. manufacturing funding by $100 billion to appease the White House, together with a optimistic ruling in Alphabet’ s search antitrust case that enables the iPhone maker to nonetheless obtain funds from Google. Although these assist alleviate some investor issues concerning the influence of tariffs and successful to its essential high-margin companies enterprise, it is not sufficient to get Apple out of the doghouse fairly but. It nonetheless faces strain over its staggered rollout of Apple Intelligence, its generative synthetic intelligence suite – much more so now after administration did not elaborate on the matter way more throughout its annual {hardware} occasion final week. Bottom line Still, we’re assured concerning the alternatives the brand new iPhones can carry. “Apple’s [iPhone 17] is going to be gigantic,” Jim Cramer stated throughout Monday’s Morning Meeting . He described the most recent mannequin of Apple’s flagship gadget as “more of a bargain” than its different smartphones. “When you trade in, it turns out that the [iPhone] 15, 14, 13 … their value relative to what you paid for is very high. So, when you take the incentives of a Verizon or T-Mobile and you add [them] with the trade-in value, this thing turns out to be more of a bargain than any of the phones,” Jim added. Based on the Wall Street analysis, we’re glad to listen to that early iPhone demand is monitoring effectively. Jim pointed to the optimistic outcomes of the iPhone 17 base in China. “That’s very important,” Jim stated. China has been a constant supply of stress for Apple, given the stiffening smartphone competitors and its large manufacturing presence within the nation. Reflecting on his journey to Kentucky to the Corning plant that can present the glass for iPhones and Apple Watches, Jim stated that Apple’s AI priorities are so as. Apple CEO Tim Cook was additionally there. “Cook told me that AI was an ‘all-in’ situation, and he called it perhaps the most profound change in his lifetime. Those who think that Apple isn’t developing or caring about AI are dead wrong,” Jim wrote on this week’s Sunday column . “If the Apple bears or those lukewarm on the stock were to have a field trip the way I had, they would know their tepid stance is going to bite them in the ass.” The Club maintains its long-held “own it, don’t trade it” stance on Apple. Our worth goal stands at $240, solely 2% away from present costs. The inventory has nonetheless been working to get again to its record-closing excessive of $259 on Dec. 26, 2024. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is lengthy AAPL. See right here for a full checklist of the shares.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you’ll obtain a commerce alert earlier than Jim makes a commerce. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a commerce alert earlier than shopping for or promoting a inventory in his charitable belief’s portfolio. 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