Apple disputes allegations that Apple TV trial will drive down stock price: The issue, according to Goldman Sachs' Rod Hall, is how investors view profit margins for individual business segments, more than any actual financial impact to the company. In a note to investors on Friday morning, Goldman Sachs said that a one-year free trial to Apple TV would impact hardware profit margins because of how Apple has historically accounted for trials, including Apple Music and iCloud subscriptions.
Apple will be offering one-year free trials of Apple TV to purchasers of an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, or Mac. Hall is apparently concerned that this is a problem, because investors will look more at profit margins just in hardware, and not across the company as a whole.
Hall insists that this accounting issue, and how investors respond to it without any context on where money is being made outside of hardware, will drive Apple stock down by 25% of its present valuation. As a result of the analysis, Hall lowered Goldman Sachs' 12-month Apple stock target price to $165 from its previous $187.
Apple will be offering one-year free trials of Apple TV to purchasers of an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, or Mac. Hall is apparently concerned that this is a problem, because investors will look more at profit margins just in hardware, and not across the company as a whole.
Hall insists that this accounting issue, and how investors respond to it without any context on where money is being made outside of hardware, will drive Apple stock down by 25% of its present valuation. As a result of the analysis, Hall lowered Goldman Sachs' 12-month Apple stock target price to $165 from its previous $187.