'Tough pill to swallow for the bulls': Here's what 4 Wall Street analysts are saying about Apple's coronavirus-stricken sales forecast

Price target: $400

Rating: Outperform

Apple's announcement prompted a "knee jerk reaction" during Tuesday's trading session, Wedbush analysts Dan Ives and Strecker Backe said. Yet the downward adjustment didn't faze the firm's outlook on Apple shares, with the two analysts expecting sales to rebound once the virus is contained.

"We believe this is a more of a timing issue rather than an extended supply/demand issue for iPhones globally and does not change our longer term bullish thesis on the name," the team wrote. "While this news is a tough pill to swallow for the bulls, Apple remains a company significantly exposed to this virus issue given the company's massive supply and demand tentacles throughout China."

Wedbush sees the firm potentially bouncing back in the June quarter and riding the "5G super cycle" through the end of the year.

Price target: $358

Rating: Outperform

Analysts at RBC Capital Markets compared the Monday announcement to Apple's January 2019 statement, when the company lowered guidance on worse-than-expected demand for iPhones in China. The update saw Apple shares drop the most in six years after a temporary halt to trading, a far more negative reaction to the mild drop in Tuesday's session.

While the 2019 update "was not a (most likely) one-off item driving the lower demand," Monday's statement signals revenue will simply be delayed until the third quarter, analyst Robert Muller wrote. The most important variable is the spread of coronavirus in the near future, as a prolonged pandemic could keep demand in China stifled for quarters to come.

"While we view the situation as temporary and our longer-term outlook is unchanged, the ultimate impact is still very much unknown," the analyst said.

Price target: $345

Rating: Buy

Even as the outbreak drags on iPhone sales, the tech giant has several other revenue streams to lean on while it waits for the coronavirus pandemic to die down, analysts at Canaccord Genuity wrote on Monday. Record revenue for its Services business is expected to "outpace total company growth," and Mac and iPad sales are reaching all-time highs despite relatively high bars to clear, they added.

Apple's diversified mix of product and service revenues, along with expected boosts to share buybacks, will keep the stock from falling too much as it weathers the coronavirus storm, analysts Michael Walkley and Anthony Nemoto wrote.

"We believe Apple is well positioned for strong trends across all its business lines."

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