Apple Stock Leaps Past $240 As Tim Cook Teases New Product Launch, But Retail Sentiment Stays Tepid

synopsis

Apple, Inc. (AAPL) shares outperformed the broader market on Thursday after CEO Tim Cook confirmed the imminent launch of the “newest member of the family”

Cook’s cryptic post on X did not reveal the product, but it confirmed the launch date as Wednesday, Feb. 19. Hashtagged  “#AppleLaunch,” the post included an animated video of an Apple logo with upbeat music playing in the background. 

The video garnered 38,000 likes, 3.7 million views and 3,400 comments in an hour, and was retweeted 5,900 times.

The sketchy details set the rumor mills in motion, with the guesses ranging from the next iteration of the iPhone SE to an iPhone 16 Lite to an iPhone Air.

Prominent Apple leaker and Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPhone SE 4 launch event is imminent. Delving into the potential specification, he said the new low-end model will have a larger screen with Face ID, phasing out the home button, and be powered by a faster A18 chip to support Apple Intelligence features. 

In a recent note, Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring said that he expects Apple to price the new iPhone SE at $429. He forecasts SE shipments of 3 million units for the March quarter and 15 million units for the fiscal year 2025.

Apple stock took off following Cook’s post and rallied about 2% to an intraday high of $241.61 by late morning trading. Since then, the stock has given back some of the gains.

However, retail is unmoved. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Apple stock was stuck at ‘bearish’ (38/100), with the message volume staying ‘low.’

AAPL sentiment and message volume February 13, as of 1:53 pm ET | Source: Stocktwits

At last check, Apple stock was up 1.81% at $241.15. Since retreating from its Dec. 26 record high of $260.10, Apple's stock has largely been rangebound. It has lost over 5% so far this year.

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