Red Hat (RHT) is helping the European Space Agency (ESA) reach the cloud. The enterprise software company said Tuesday that it has developed an on-premise, private cloud infrastructure with advanced IT services that includes its open-source Linux operation system for the space agency’s user communities. Red Hat is the No. 1 provider of Linux, which has become a preferred alternative to the Unix systems that Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple (AAPL) have
Apple (AAPL) stock fell Thursday after Mizuho Securities downgraded the consumer electronics company to neutral from buy, saying investors might have seen “as good as it gets” from Apple for now. Apple stock was down more than 2% in afternoon trading on the stock market today, near 107. Mizuho analyst Abhey Lamba sees iPhone sales decelerating more than normal later this year and says Apple Watch will disappoint. “With the upside to the stock around $130-$140 and downside in the mid-$80s, we think risk-reward is well-balanced,” he said in a note Thursday. Lamba has a price target of 115 on Apple stock. Apple should report solid results for its fiscal first quarter on Jan. 27, and its March-quarter guidance is likely to show continued momentum, Lamba said. Plus, Apple management is expected to boost its dividend and stock buybacks in April. But those expectations are already baked into the stock…
As Apple (AAPL) approaches the release of its holiday quarter results, Wall Street analysts are adjusting their models to predict whether the consumer electronics giant had a joyous season. Apple is due to report fiscal first-quarter earnings after the market close on Jan. 27. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the Cupertino, Calif.-based company to earn $2.57 a share, up 24% from the same quarter last year. Analysts see Apple’s sales rising 16% to $67.1 billion. If those estimates are accurate, it would mark the company’s biggest gains in earnings and sales in two years. On Wednesday, Cowen & Co. analyst Timothy Arcuri raised his Q1 estimates to slightly above consensus forecasts to $2.58 EPS and $67.3 billion in sales. He is predicting that Apple will sell 68 million iPhones in the December quarter, thanks to strong demand for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets. “While this…