How Apple shares may react to the launch of first-ever foldable iPhone? Here’s what analysts say
The event will mark the first Apple product launch since new CEO John Ternus took charge. The company is set to unveil its next-generation iPhones, and while Apple has not confirmed it, reports and media leaks suggest it could also launch its first-ever foldable iPhone after years of anticipation.
Apple shares have typically seen a modest “sell-the-news” reaction immediately after product launch events before recovering over the next one to two months, Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan said on Tuesday, as quoted by Yahoo Finance.
Also read | Apple’s $2,000-plus foldable iPhone was a decade in the making
What impact could the foldable iPhone have on Apple?
Apple shares have recorded gains in the 60 days following iPhone reveal days around 17 times since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007, according to the analyst’s research. The sharpest gain, according to Mohan, was recorded in 2019, when Apple shares jumped 20% in the 60 days following the iPhone 11 reveal.
The foldable iPhone is expected to cost around $2,000-$2,500 and would likely fold open like a passport, according to reports. “Even with a $2,500 price tag, the Apple foldable is going to fly off the shelves, especially because Apple is excellent at creating an aura of exclusivity, luxury, and scarcity,” Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, told Reuters. Popal expects the new phone to generate more than $45 billion in revenue for Apple by the end of next year, even as foldables overall remain a single-digit share of the smartphone market.
“This year, we think investor reaction will likely depend on the magnitude of price increases, adoption of Siri AI features and commentary on foldable demand,” Mohan was quoted as saying by Yahoo Finance.
Apple share price
Apple shares have gained 3% over the past month and 17% so far in 2026. Over the longer term, the stock has gained 35% in the past year and 112% in the past five years.
Apple shares have soared a whopping 2,300% under Tim Cook’s leadership. The question now is how much the stock could return during Ternus’ tenure. “Steve Jobs left huge shoes to fill, but Cook is also leaving big shoes, albeit of a different type, given his very different approach to expanding the company’s growth engines,” Bloomberg quoted Chris Brigati, chief investment officer at SWBC, as saying.
The returns delivered by the iPhone maker’s stock look even more impressive when dividends are taken into account. During Cook’s tenure, Apple shares climbed 2,736% on a total-return basis, Bloomberg reported. This compares with a 769% surge in the S&P 500, including dividends, and a 1,512% gain in the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 over the same period.
Meanwhile, Apple remains legendary investor Warren Buffett’s top stock pick. He once joked that Apple’s outgoing CEO Tim Cook made more money for Berkshire Hathaway shareholders than he ever did as CEO of the iPhone maker.
Also read | The foldable iPhone as Apple turns the page: John Ternus faces his first big test as CEO
Disclosure: “This article has been written by Debaroti Adhikary, who is not a SEBI-registered Research Analyst or an Investment Adviser. Debaroti Adhikary and her ‘relative(s)’ (as defined under Section 2(77) of the Companies Act, 2013) do not hold any financial interest in the companies mentioned in this article as of the date of publication. The views/recommendations mentioned in this article, wherever applicable, are those of the respective SEBI-registered Research Analyst/brokerage and have been reproduced/reported with due attribution. They should not be construed as the views or recommendations of The EconomicTimes Digital or the journalist. Readers are advised to consider the original research report and make their investment decisions based on their own assessment.”
