Apple's Report Card Under Tariff Games: $100 Billion Additional Investment Focused on Semiconductors and AI, Wedbush Raises Target Price to $270

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Apple (AAPL.US) announced on August 6 local time that it will invest an additional $100 billion in the United States, attracting widespread market attention. A team of analysts led by Aaron Raks at Wells Fargo pointed out that this investment should be viewed as "an agreement aimed at minimizing tariff impacts," with the core logic being that under the potential threat of the Trump administration imposing a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors, companies that commit to building factories in the U.S. can receive tariff exemptions. The institution maintains an "overweight" rating on Apple stock, with a target price of $245.

On August 6 local time, Apple officially disclosed that it will add $100 billion in investments in the U.S. over the next four years, combined with the $500 billion investment plan announced in February this year, bringing the total scale to $600 billion.

The new investment will focus on the construction of server manufacturing plants and the localization of the supply chain, while simultaneously launching the "American Manufacturing Plan" (AMP), establishing deeper cooperation with 10 companies including Corning (GLW.US), Coherent (COHR.US), GlobalWafers, Applied Materials (AMAT.US), Texas Instruments (TXN.US), Samsung, GlobalFoundries (GFS.US), Amkor (AMKR.US), Broadcom (AVGO.US), and MP Materials (MP.US) to promote the transfer of advanced manufacturing processes to the U.S.

Wells Fargo specifically pointed out that although Apple did not mention moving the final assembly of iPhones to the U.S., it has formed substantial domestic production capacity through its supply chain layout.

At the same time, investment bank Wedbush also released a positive evaluation, stating that this investment is "a strategic masterstroke by Cook." The analyst team led by Daniel Ives emphasized that through the AMP plan, Apple will not only expand its cooperation with Corning on smartphone glass production lines in Kentucky but also signed a multi-year agreement with Coherent to produce Face ID core component VCSEL lasers at its Texas factory; it also reaffirmed its rare earth magnet procurement agreement with MP Materials and invested in its California mining project.

In response, Wedbush maintains an "outperform" rating on Apple, with a target price of $270, and pointed out that Cook "combines 10% political wisdom with 90% business acumen," successfully alleviating the uncertainties brought by the Trump administration's "America First" policy.

However, analysts also admitted that from a cost structure perspective, manufacturing iPhones in the U.S. remains unrealistic, and Apple's core product production focus will still remain in Asia and India, with future investments leaning more towards non-core areas such as Mac and AI. The institution believes that while this layout cannot completely eliminate policy risks, it has significantly eased the tension between the White House and Apple, allowing for more strategic space for long-term growth