Apple is Said to Snap Up Startup NextVR For Virtual Reality Content; Top Analyst Sees Buying Opportunity

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is said to have bought virtual reality startup NextVR, for an undisclosed sum, Bloomberg reported.NextVR provides content ranging from sports, music, and entertainment for virtual reality headsets. This also includes watching live events on VR headsets from PlayStation, HTC, Facebook Inc.’s (FB) Oculus, Google (GOOGL), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), and others. The startup has deals with sports leagues including the National Basketball Association and entertainment networks such as Fox Sports, according to Bloomberg.The news of the acquisition comes after website 9to5Mac first reported the deal in April putting its value at $100 million.Apple has been on a buying spree this year with the purchases of Voysis, an Irish startup that focuses on voice technology, and Dark Sky, a popular weather app.Shares in Apple have rallied 37% in the past two months and were trading at $307.71 as of the close on Friday.Still, five-star analyst Daniel Ives at Wedbush raised his price target to $350 (14% upside potential) from $335 and maintained a Buy rating on the stock, based on “further confidence that the eye of the storm is in the rear view mirror for Apple from both a demand and supply chain perspective”.“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the investment thesis on Apple for FY21 and beyond has remained on course to hit $60 billion+ of revenue annually although some darker days are still ahead with the global lockdown and dismal economic backdrop,” Ives wrote in a note to investors. “Looking ahead, with stores opening up to strong demand throughout Asia and a handful of US stores opening up this week, coupled by a recovering supply chain which is on the path to normalization, it appears Apple is starting to lay the early groundwork for the next chapter of growth recovery in Cupertino.”Ives said that he is encouraging investors to use the “near-term uncertainty as an opportunity to buy the stock for the other side of the dark valley”.Turning now to the rest of the analyst community, TipRanks data shows that a bullish outlook prevails. Out of 33 Wall Street analysts, a majority of 28 assign Buys, 4 have Holds and 1 has a Sell. The $320.39 average price target is more cautious than Ives’ estimate as it foresees a mere 4.1% upside potential in the shares in the coming 12 months. (See Apple stock analysis on TipRanks)Related News: Amazon Urges Congress to Establish a Law Against Price Gouging Twitter Won’t Reopen Offices Before Sept., Allows Permanent Work From Home Uber Announces $750M Notes Offering, As GrubHub Takeover Reports Swirl More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Carl Icahn Initiates Position in Delek US Holdings, Boosts Occidental Petroleum * Nike Warns Virus Store Closures To Have “Material Impact” On Q4 * Aurora Cannabis (ACB) Stock Is a Buy, But Wait for a Better Entry Point * Chipotle Expands With Uber Eats in Canada; Shares Pop as Piper Sandler Raises PT Read More...

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Apple Inc. (AAPL) is said to have bought virtual reality startup NextVR, for an undisclosed sum, Bloomberg reported.” data-reactid=”12″>Apple Inc. (AAPL) is said to have bought virtual reality startup NextVR, for an undisclosed sum, Bloomberg reported.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="NextVR provides content ranging from sports, music, and entertainment for virtual reality headsets. This also includes watching live events on VR headsets from PlayStation, HTC, Facebook Inc.’s (FB) Oculus, Google (GOOGL), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), and others. The startup has deals with sports leagues including the National Basketball Association and entertainment networks such as Fox Sports, according to Bloomberg.” data-reactid=”13″>NextVR provides content ranging from sports, music, and entertainment for virtual reality headsets. This also includes watching live events on VR headsets from PlayStation, HTC, Facebook Inc.’s (FB) Oculus, Google (GOOGL), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), and others. The startup has deals with sports leagues including the National Basketball Association and entertainment networks such as Fox Sports, according to Bloomberg.

The news of the acquisition comes after website 9to5Mac first reported the deal in April putting its value at $100 million.

Apple has been on a buying spree this year with the purchases of Voysis, an Irish startup that focuses on voice technology, and Dark Sky, a popular weather app.

Shares in Apple have rallied 37% in the past two months and were trading at $307.71 as of the close on Friday.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Still, five-star analyst Daniel Ives at Wedbush raised his price target to $350 (14% upside potential) from $335 and maintained a Buy rating on the stock, based on “further confidence that the eye of the storm is in the rear view mirror for Apple from both a demand and supply chain perspective”.” data-reactid=”17″>Still, five-star analyst Daniel Ives at Wedbush raised his price target to $350 (14% upside potential) from $335 and maintained a Buy rating on the stock, based on “further confidence that the eye of the storm is in the rear view mirror for Apple from both a demand and supply chain perspective”.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the investment thesis on Apple for FY21 and beyond has remained on course to hit $60 billion+ of revenue annually although some darker days are still ahead with the global lockdown and dismal economic backdrop,” Ives wrote in a note to investors. “Looking ahead, with stores opening up to strong demand throughout Asia and a handful of US stores opening up this week, coupled by a recovering supply chain which is on the path to normalization, it appears Apple is starting to lay the early groundwork for the next chapter of growth recovery in Cupertino.”

Ives said that he is encouraging investors to use the “near-term uncertainty as an opportunity to buy the stock for the other side of the dark valley”.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Turning now to the rest of the analyst community, TipRanks data shows that a bullish outlook prevails. Out of 33 Wall Street analysts, a majority of 28 assign Buys, 4 have Holds and 1 has a Sell. The $320.39 average price target is more cautious than Ives’ estimate as it foresees a mere 4.1% upside potential in the shares in the coming 12 months. (See Apple stock analysis on TipRanks)” data-reactid=”20″>Turning now to the rest of the analyst community, TipRanks data shows that a bullish outlook prevails. Out of 33 Wall Street analysts, a majority of 28 assign Buys, 4 have Holds and 1 has a Sell. The $320.39 average price target is more cautious than Ives’ estimate as it foresees a mere 4.1% upside potential in the shares in the coming 12 months. (See Apple stock analysis on TipRanks)