Apple Stock Hits All-Time High Thursday as Analyst Sees ‘Golden Era of Growth’ With AI

Apple (AAPL) shares closed at an all-time high Thursday after Wedbush analysts led by Dan Ives told clients that the iPhone maker could be headed for a “golden era of growth” in 2025, driven by demand for artificial intelligence (AI).

The analysts raised their price target for Apple’s stock by $25 to $325, implying about 25% upside from Thursday’s record close at $259.02, and maintained an “outperform” rating, anticipating a multi-year iPhone upgrade cycle driven by AI that “is still being underestimated by the Street.”

That’s a lot higher than the average analyst price target compiled by Visible Alpha at about $244, which would imply a decline from Thursday’s level. Just over half or nine of the 15 analysts polled hold “buy” or equivalent ratings for the stock, with four “hold” and two “sell” ratings.

Wedbush’s target boost comes as the firm projects Apple could sell more than 240 million iPhones in fiscal year 2025, “as this AI-driven upgrade cycle takes hold and this will be the highest iPhone unit sales year in Apple’s history.”

With Thursday’s advance, shares of Apple have gained over one-third of their value since the start of the year, as the company’s market capitalization nears $4 trillion.

Wedbush expects Apple could soon reach that $4 trillion threshold, which would make it the first company in the world to do so. At present, there are only three companies with a market caps over $3 trillion, including Apple, Nvidia (NVDA), and Microsoft (MSFT). 

UPDATE—Dec. 26, 2024: This article has been updated to reflect more recent share price information.