Tag Archives: aapl

Apple Watch launch weighs on Fossil, Garmin

W hat time is it? Time for Fossil and Garmin investors to start worrying about the impact of the Apple Watch. Both companies took a hit this week after reporting disappointing fourth-quarter results, and analysts started speculating on the impact of Apple’s (AAPL) upcoming smartwatch, due out in April. On a conference call with analysts Tuesday, designer-watch maker Fossil Group (FOSL) noted that newcomers (read: Apple) could hurt the company’s business. “While notable newcomers can help grow the market by bringing new customers into the category, they might also cause some near-term disruption,” Chief Financial Officer Dennis Secor said. In the December quarter, Richardson, Texas-based Fossil earned $2.92 a share excluding items on sales of $1.06 billion. EPS was up 9% and sales were flat year over year. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were looking for Fossil to earn $3.07 a share on sales of $1.12 billion….

Apple stock hits record on possible dividend hike

T he Apple Watch isn’t the only treat that Apple (AAPL) has in store for investors in April. The company is also scheduled to update its capital allocation plan and return more cash to shareholders. RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani on Thursday reiterated his outperform rating on Apple stock and raised his price target to 140 from 130 on expectations for a dividend boost and increased share buybacks. Apple is able to announce a $65 billion annual capital allocation program in April, Daryanani said in a research report. It would equate to a 100% return of free cash flow. Apple could increase its cash dividend by 50% to get its yield to 2.2%, vs. the current 1.5%, Daryanani said. Apple’s current dividend yield is below the S&P 500 average of 2%. Daryanani sees other catalysts that also could drive Apple stock higher. They include the continued…

Apple Copycat Xiaomi Leads China Smartphone Market

Xiaomi, one of the fastest-growing tech companies worldwide, has emerged as the No. 1 smartphone vendor in China. Xiaomi, pronounced she-yow-mee, ended Q4 with a 13.7% market share, ahead of Apple (AAPL) at 12.3%, according to research firm IDC. Founded in 2010, Xiaomi burst onto the scene with smartphones that use leading-edge components at less than half the price of comparable devices by Samsung or Apple. Among the chip suppliers to Xiaomi are