Shares of Apple and Broadcom on Wednesday both traded above their record-high closes. New research shows investors exactly why there should be more upside ahead for the two Club holdings. No. 1 smartphone: Apple stock rose Wednesday after Counterpoint Research said the company was on track to dethrone Samsung as the world’s top smartphone maker in 2025 — a feat not seen in more than a decade. The tech behemoth is expected to ship 243 million iPhone units in 2025 compared to Samsung’s 235 million. Counterpoint analysts credited the successful debut of Apple’s newest iPhone 17 series for the share gains as device shipments rose 10% year over year in 2025. While shipments – the number of devices vendors send to retailers – are different than final sales, the figures are still important. They can provide valuable insights into smartphone demand and sales expectations. For 2025, Apple is expected to secure a 19.4% share of the global smartphone market, while Samsung’s is seen coming in at 18.7%. AAPL YTD mountain Apple YTD We’re not surprised to hear of Apple’s market dominance. After all, the iPhone 17 series has shown promising signs time and time again since its September launch. Jim Cramer has described Apple’s latest flagship device as a huge bargain when considering trade-in values for previous models and carrier subsidies. “We’ve been saying the iPhone 17 is unbelievable,” Jim previously said. He added, “As long as Apple makes the best products, people will buy them.” The impressive iPhone 17 debut, in part, is why the stock keeps hitting all-time highs and even joined the $4 trillion market cap club last month. Given the consistent signs of success for the iPhone 17, we could see the upward trend in Apple shares continuing through the end of 2025. That said, the Club is still awaiting more clarity on Apple’s AI strategy, which so far has been lackluster. Buzzy new features — like delivering on a long-delayed conversational Siri — could help further drive an upgrade cycle for the iPhone. Still, we see Apple as uniquely positioned to benefit from AI because its huge installed customer base makes the company a great AI partner for those who want to expand services to a broader audience. That means Apple can make money from AI without spending enormous amounts. The Club maintains its long-held “own, don’t trade” thesis on shares. Wall Street praise: Broadcom shares hit new all-time intraday highs Wednesday after Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $435 from $380. The analysts, who kept their buy rating, expect Broadcom’s upcoming quarter to be solid, with “strong momentum driving upside to AI revenue” in 2026. Broadcom is set to report its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter on Dec. 11. “We expect sustained AI strength in 4Q, with 1Q guidance above the Street given robust spending at key customers — and we expect updated FY26 AI revenue guidance above 100% YoY,” the analysts wrote in a Tuesday note. The reference to “key customers” is likely a nod to more AI spending from hyperscalers, which means an increase in Broadcom sales. Goldman forecasts that Broadcom’s AI revenue will see a 128% year-over-year gain in fiscal year 2026. Broadcom shares have surged as Wall Street positions the chipmaker as a play on Alphabet’s growing AI dominance, thanks to Broadcom’s role in co-designing Google’s custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) that power the new standout Gemini 3 artificial intelligence model. AVGO YTD mountain Broadcom YTD We agree with Goldman: Broadcom shares have more upside ahead even as they trade at records. Big tech companies raising their capital expenditures for AI infrastructure means more sales for Broadcom’s networking and custom chip businesses. That’s a key reason why the Club started a position in the stock. Additionally, this week’s report that Club name Meta Platforms is considering Google TPUs for its data centers in 2027 are a positive for Broadcom. Alphabet’s deeper AI commitment can drive sales for the custom chips Broadcom helps design. The Club has a hold-equivalent 2 rating , and a price target of $415 on shares. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long AAPL, AVGO, META. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
