Still, it should be lost on precisely no one that part of Meta's lackluster recent performance is due to Apple's clampdown on privacy issues which has become a major headwind to digital advertisers like Meta. After restricting applications on iPhones from retrieving essential personal data, Apple has increased its focus on its own ad business.
Wall Street has not set the bar too high for Apple, which just released the iPhone 14 last month. Analyst consensus puts the EPS for the quarter at $1.27. This is ahead of the $1.20 produced in the most recent quarter and the $1.24 a share reported in the same quarter last year. Taking inflation into account then, Wall Street is expecting an earnings decrease from last year.
Because the iPhone 14 was just released and was followed shortly thereafter with rumors that Apple had cut production levels for its iPhone 14 Plus model, shareholders and analysts alike will greatly focus on whatever CEO Tim Cook says regarding the demand for its most popular product. In fact, any color regarding the iPhone 14 might decided the direction of the AAPL stock price. is sitting between two wide support and resistance levels.