Today is a big day for Apple (AAPL -0.89%) and its shareholders as Tim Cook hands over the job of chief executive officer to John Ternus. The new chief, most recently Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, takes the helm at a company that’s transformed the smartphone market — in fact, the famous iPhone continues to hold the top spot worldwide quarter after quarter.
The popularity of the iPhone and other products like the Mac and iPad has helped the company generate record levels of earnings and even deliver recurring revenue through the offering of services. All of this has led the stock price higher over time.
But, in recent weeks, Apple shares have dipped. Though Apple reported strong revenue in the recent quarter, the company’s outlook, cautious amid supply constraints and higher memory chip costs, disappointed investors. Still, growth is far from over for this tech giant, and now, another important moment lies just ahead on Sept. 9. Should you buy the stock before that time? Here’s what history says.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Apple’s market dominance
Before diving in, however, let’s take a quick look at the Apple story so far. The famous iPhone is far from new, with the first version launched back in 2007. Within a few years, the product became a smashing success and set Apple on track to market domination. As mentioned, the iPhone maintains its position as the best-selling smartphone globally — in the second quarter, the iPhone 17 took the No. 1 spot, and iPhones held five out of the top 10 positions, according to Counterpoint Research.
Today’s Change
(-0.89%) $-2.85
Current Price
$316.85
Key Data Points
Market Cap
Day’s Range
$312.80 – $321.24
52wk Range
$225.95 – $344.57
Volume
110.2K
Avg Vol
54.7M
Gross Margin
48.65%
Dividend Yield
0.33%
Customers also flock to Apple for its range of other products, and these devices have helped the company establish a solid moat; Apple fans love the products so much that they don’t often switch. Today iPhone brand loyalty has reached more than 96%, up from 91% five years ago, according to a SellCell survey. This has resulted in solid growth in revenue over the years, with the recent quarterly figure climbing 16% to more than $109 billion.
Still, as mentioned, Apple disappointed investors when it predicted revenue growth of 9% to 11% in the current quarter, falling short of analysts’ forecasts of 12% growth. And this weighed on the stock price, leading to a 4.2% decline from the July 30 earnings report through the Aug. 28 trading session.
Apple’s new products
But a happening just ahead may put the spotlight on Apple once again. On Sept. 9, the company, with new CEO Ternus at the helm, is set to hold a launch event. Analysts predict the company will unveil new iPhones and even the much-anticipated foldable phone, as well as Apple Watches.
Should you buy the stock prior to this big day? Well, a look at the past five Apple September launches shows that three out of five times, the stock has advanced in the month to follow.
| Launch date | 1-month stock performance |
|---|---|
| Sept. 19, 2025 | +2.7% |
| Sept. 20, 2024 | +2.9% |
| Sept. 22, 2023 | -1% |
| Sept. 16, 2022 | -8% |
| Sept. 24, 2021 | +1.2% |
| Data source: Ycharts. |
So, by investing prior to the upcoming launch event, you may benefit in the near term if history is right. But does this really mean you should rush to get in on Apple right now? While a near-term gain clearly would be fantastic, short-term performance won’t make or break your portfolio.
What’s most important is a stock’s potential over the long term. And, here, there’s reason to be optimistic about Apple. The company has the strength to weather the storm of memory prices and supply constraints — even if this restricts growth to a certain degree today, it’s unlikely to hurt Apple’s long-term prospects. Meanwhile, it’s key to note that John Ternus, with strengths in building Apple products, could usher in a fresh era of growth in the coming years.
All of this means Apple is a buy, but you don’t have to rush to get into the stock before Sept. 9 — a purchase before or after the launch event could generate fantastic returns over the long run.