Apple's stocks took a hit several days ago when major investors and even hedge fund managers announced that they were dumping their shares from the company. Among the investors who have separated themselves from the company is Carl Icahn, a well-known billionaire investor. Warren Buffet, however, just entered the scene whose company Berkshire Hathaway bought $1 billion in shares, thus confusing prospective investors as to what they should do.
Among the reasons behind what appears to be a flurry of hurried abandonment is Apple's disappointing earnings performance which capped out at $50.56 billion in the recent quarter. This fell short of Wall Street's expectations by a significant margin, which prompted investors to dump their stocks and the share prices of the tech giant to drop by 11 percent.
When he spoke with CNBC, Icahn also disclosed that he is worried about China's attitude towards Apple. He said that if the Chinese government wanted to, they could "come in and make it very difficult for Apple to sell there... you can do pretty much what you want there."
If Icahn thinks that Apple has become a dim prospect, though, Buffet thinks otherwise. To him, Apple is simply transitioning from a fast-growing company to a less exciting, slower growth one. Even though Buffet's company is not known for buying stocks from tech giants, Apple's current state falls under his specialty all the same.
Being two juggernauts in the investment world, many novices, and even experienced investors often copy whatever Icahn and Buffet decide to do. This time, copycats are having a difficult time deciding which one to follow since both seem to be going in the opposite direction.
According to experts, the answer depends on what timeframe the investors in question are looking for. Do they go with Icahn who is known for choosing short-term stocks or Buffet who is known for buying steady, reasonably priced stocks?
