Apple Stock Is Down 15% In 2025, But One Analyst Warns Against Selling — Retail Isn’t Convinced

Apple, Inc. (AAPL) stock is currently well off its all-time high of $260.10, which it hit on Dec. 26. It is down about 15% for the year-to-date period, but a bullish analyst said he wasn't ready to give up on the stock yet.

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said the bearish sentiment building up around Apple was exacerbated by the pushout of major artificial intelligence (AI) features over the next year.

According to the analyst, Apple's decision to delay the Siri revamp to 2026 may have to do with the company's decision to fine-tune things to take them to perfection. 

The analyst said, "This is not the time to sell this tech stalwart as in our view, the next stage of product and AI-driven services growth is still ahead.”

He expects Apple to make new highs in 2025 despite the brutal sell-off since the year's start.

In the worst-case scenario, the analyst estimates the delay may cost Apple 10 million iPhone units, or roughly 4% of the total sales estimated for fiscal year 2025. He added that these units will be pushed forward to fiscal year 2026.

Ives said the sell-off in Apple is overdone, adding that the feature delay does not change his bullish thesis. He expects 20% of the world's population to access AI through an Apple device over the coming years as developers build more AI apps on the App Store.

He also expects the formal announcement of the Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) partnership in China to be a key step in the June rollout of Apple Intelligence features in the country. 

The analyst said the bears have miscalculated three important dynamics of the Apple story, namely:

• Over 2 billion installed base of iOS devices with 300 million iPhones in upgrade window
• Services business, which is valued at $2 trillion
• Consumer AI opportunity

Wedbush maintained an 'Outperform' rating and a $325 price target for the stock.

On Friday, a Bloomberg report said that Apple  Senior Director Robby Walker, who oversees the Siri virtual assistant, said in an all-hands meeting for the division that the delay in the upgraded version has been "ugly" and "embarrassing."

The executive also took exception to publicly promoting the technology before it was ready. 

According to the report, the features will likely be added as an update as early as the iOS 19 software cycle in 2026.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Apple stock remained 'neutral' (49/100), with the message volume staying 'high.' 

AAPL sentiment and message volume March 16, as of 9:51 pm ET | Source: Stocktwits

Sharing a technical chart, a watcher said he was bearish below the $220 level but added that the $197-$200 area will be good for adding to positions.

Another pointed to the bearish consumer sentiment readings as the reason for his bearishness on the stock.

Apple ended Friday's session up 1.82% at $213.49, and it has traded in a 52-week range of $164.08-$260.10.

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