The Denver Post

Why billionair­e Icahn dumped Apple stock

The firm reports a dip in iPhone sales.

- By Hayley Tsukayama

Apple had a tough week after reporting that its quarterly revenue fell for the first time since 2003. Things gotworse Thursday when billionair­e investor Carl Icahn announced he had sold his shares in the company.

The news sent Apple stock, already depressed by the disappoint­ing earnings report, down another 3 percent. Apple’s stock, one of the most widely held in the world, was more than $60 billion from its market value.

Icahn has been one of Apple’s most prominent and vocal investors. In 2014, he suggested that Apple was undervalue­d and was worth more than $1 trillion. Icahn also has repeatedly tussled with the firm about a program for buying back its stock, which could raise its value. The company eventually relented.

But, Icahn said on CNBC on Thursday afternoon, he has now sold all of his shares in the company and made a $2 billion profit.

“We obviously made a great deal of money,” Icahn said.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

Apple is a “great company,” Icahn said. Icahn said he called AppleCEOTi­mCook to alert him to the news.

“He seemed sort of sad to hear that,” Icahn said.

Apple reported its earnings last week, revealing that its revenue dropped from the previous year for the first time in 13 years. It also reported its first-ever dip in iP- hone sales from year to year. Apple sold 51.2 million phones in its latest quarter, as compared to 61.2 billion the previous year.

The report ended a remarkable run that helped the tech firm become the world’s most valuable company.

In Apple’s latest earnings call, Cook called the current situation a “pause” in Apple’s growth. Yet with a majority of its revenue wrapped up in the slowing smartphone market, any perception that the iPhone is weakening has enormous repercussi­ons.

Apple, like every other smartphone vendor, has watched consumer appetites for smartphone­s shrink over the past several quarters. That slowing growth seems to have caught up with the company this quarter, particular­ly in the critical market of China.

Apple reported that revenue was down 26 percent from the same period last year, making it the region of theworldwh­ere the firm saw the greatest downturn.

That appears to be behind Icahn’s decision to sell his shares in the company, whichwere once worth more than $5 billion. “China could be a shadow for (the company), andwe have to look at that,” he told CNBC.

 ??  ?? Carl Icahn has been a vocal Apple investor. Associated Press
Carl Icahn has been a vocal Apple investor. Associated Press

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