Analysts certainly appear to be confident that Apple will have a great 2015, especially now that the highly anticipated wearable, the [Apple] Watch, is almost ready to hit the shelves. In the light of the April launch, and following Tim Cook’s speech at the Goldman Sachs technology conference, JP Morgan has updated its Apple stock price target to $145, predicting 26 million Apple Watch sales by the end of calendar 2015.
In a note to investors obtained by AppleInsider, analyst Rod Hall expressed his belief that, even if limited to iPhone 5 (and newer) owners, there will be 400 million potential Apple Watch customers by the end of current quarter.
As a result, Hall takes into consideration about 5% of the potential Apple Watch customers. Assuming that the “sport” version will be the most popular model, the analyst says predicts a 39% margin. However, in the case of either the stainless steel or gold edition versions turning out to be the most popular, Hall predicts much higher margins.
According to Hall, this is just the beginning though. Next year around 13% of compatible iPhone owners will become Watch buyers, the analysts believes, pushing the earnings per share to $10.50.
