What Did WWDC 2017 Do For Apple? The Sell-Side Weighs In

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) investors and enthusiasts are excited about the new products and development tools Apple unveiled at its World Wide Developer Conference on Monday. Apple unveiled new augmented reality development toolkit ARKit, Siri speaker device HomePod, peer-to-peer payment platform Pay Cash, watchOS 4, a 10.5-inch iPad, Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) integration with Apple TV and other new technology at this week’s event.

What does Wall Street think of this year’s WWDC? Here’s what several major firms have to say about Apple and WWDC.

See Also: Everything You Need To Know From Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2017 Keynote Address

Wall Street's Reaction

Nomura says news from the conference “illustrates why Apple’s customer satisfaction is at 96%, which is a key part of the bullish thesis around the iPhone 8 launch in September.”

UBS analyst Steven Milunovich says most of the technology improvements were “incremental” but added “there were some important new offerings, led by HomePod, a ‘breakthrough wireless speaker’ that also answers queries as do Alexa and Google Home.”

JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall says the “large multitasking enhancements to the iPad were potentially the most financially impactful part of the keynote as they move the iPad a little closer to a full laptop replacement option – particularly with the new 10.5’ screen size also announced at the event.”

Baird analyst William Power says, “Longer term, ARKit and the new peer-to-peer payment platform via iMessage open significant opportunities.”

Deutsche Bank analyst Sherri Scribner says the HomePod device and the peer-to-peer payment products are “interesting additions to the Apple ecosystem” but that they are “not substantially different from existing offerings from other companies in these categories in our view.”

Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi says, “Yesterday’s announcements reaffirm the likelihood of 3D Sensing technology in the iPhone 8.”

Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster says, “ARKIT is the single most important announcement from today’s keynote, enhancing iOS 11 devices for augmented reality.”

Credit Suisse analyst Kulbinder Garcha says, “Across the portfolio we begin to see the payoffs of the company's multi-year investments in Machine Learnings and Augmented Reality as well as improvements to the iPad line-up, Apple Pay and Siri, in addition to a new intelligent home speaker – HomePod.”

Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan says, “A noticeable feature in many of the products discussed today was the inclusion of machine learning, Augmented (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) applications, which strengthens the case for Apple to release its own AR/VR hardware at a later date.”

See Also: Even If Apple's New Products Are 'Stupid,' Cramer Says People Will Still Buy Them

Where is Apple Stock Headed?

Overall Wall Street remains extremely bullish on Apple, with a handful of exceptions. Here’s a breakdown of the ratings and price targets of the firms mentioned above:

• Nomura has a Buy rating and $165 price target.
• UBS has a Buy rating and $170 price target.
• J.P.Morgan has an Overweight rating and $165 price target.
• Baird has an Outperform rating and a $160 price target.
• Deutsche Bank has a Hold rating and $130 price target.
• Bernstein has an Outperform rating and $160 price target.
• Credit Suisse has an Outperform rating and $170 price target.
• Bank of America has a Buy rating and a $180 price target.