We recently compiled a list of 10 Best Internet Content Stocks to Buy. In this article, we will look at where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) ranks among the best internet content stocks.

According to Grand View Research, The global digital content creation market value stood at $25.6 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.5% from 2023 to 2030. In 2023, North America dominated the digital content market. The primary drivers are the increasing use of social media and the digital change occurring across different industries. According to a study by Kepios, 62.3% of individuals in the entire globe use social media. As of April 2024, the average daily usage is 2 hours and 23 minutes per this study. Kepios analysis reveals that the number of people using social media grew meaningfully during the first three months of 2024, and annual growth rates are still significantly more than 5%.

Content creation is also being transformed by artificial intelligence. According to Custom Market Insights, the global market for AI-powered content creation was valued at $2.3 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.7% to reach USD 7.9 billion by 2033. Moreover, AI programs like GPT-4 are being used to generate graphics, music, and text. Gartner projects that 30% of all digital content will be artificial intelligence generated by 2025. This facilitates hyperpersonalization, which allows material to be personalized to specific consumers while also streamlining the content creation process.

Secondly, the popularity of short-form video material is skyrocketing, emerging as a major trend in the content production industry. Platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok have paved the way for this movement. In 2024, 85% of marketers anticipate short-form videos to be the most successful type of social media content, according to a HubSpot survey. The snackable aspect of this format makes it ideal for grabbing the attention spans of increasingly transient internet consumers.

Thirdly, digital content is projected to become more interactive in the future. Advancements in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are opening up greater opportunities for immersive experiences. The AR and VR market is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, according to a PwC report.

If we take a broader view, according to the PWC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2024-2028, there are a number of significant growth prospects in the industry, which is expected to reach US$3.4 trillion by 2028. Notwithstanding persistent upheavals and the necessity of reinventing company models, the industry presents substantial income opportunities. Growth is anticipated to be driven by advertising, with spending forecast to reach US $1 trillion by 2026 because of connected TV and internet advertisements. Due to market saturation, streaming services are being forced to investigate ad-supported business models and creative content. Revenues from gaming are predicted to surpass $300 billion by 2028, particularly in Asia Pacific. The industry is still thriving. Companies navigating shifting market dynamics will find more opportunities in high-growth regions and market categories.

Methodology:

We sifted through holdings of Internet Content ETFs and online rankings to form an initial list of 20 Internet Content stocks. Then we selected the 10 stocks that were the most popular among institutional investors. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q2 2024.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 184             

Hundreds of millions of people use Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) hardware and software services to access a wide variety of internet content, making it one of the best stocks for internet content investors. Millions of people access the internet via the 1.8 billion Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) gadgets that are in use globally. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is an internationally recognized supplier of internet content due to its streaming service, Apple TV+, Apple Podcasts, and other media offerings.

In fiscal Q3 2024, the California-based tech behemoth revealed Apple Intelligence, an AI-powered personal system for its new iPhones, which might spark a supercycle of iPhone upgrades. The company’s $85.8 billion in revenue was up 5% year over year as iPhone sales reached $39.3 billion, while Mac revenue increased 2% to $7 billion. The company’s economic moat is supported by AAPL’s solid financial history, which includes improvements in net income and revenue over the preceding ten years.

Morningstar analysts increased their estimate of the company’s fair value from $170 to $185 based on an increased projection of iPhone revenue. Experts predict that the iPhone market will expand significantly in 2025 and 2026 as a result of Apple’s increasing artificial intelligence capabilities. However, considering that the present valuation accounts for an unsustainable 20% increase in iPhone revenue in fiscal 2025 owing to difficulties in China and slow upgrade cycles, they still believe the company’s stock is expensive.

Baron Funds said the following about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its second-quarter 2024 investor letter:

“This quarter we re-initiated a position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), a leading technology company known for its innovative consumer electronics products like the iPhone, MacBook, iPad, and Apple Watch. Apple is a leader across its categories and geographies, with a growing installed base that now exceeds 2 billion devices globally. The company’s attached services – including the App Store, iCloud, Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Pay – provide a higher margin, recurring revenue stream that both enhances the value proposition for its hardware products and improves the financial profile. Apple now has well over 1 billion subscribers paying for these services, more than double the number it had just 4 years ago. The increasing services mix has led to healthy operating margin improvement, providing more free cash flow for Apple to reinvest in the business and to distribute to shareholders. Throughout its 48-year history, Apple has successfully navigated and capitalized on major technological shifts, from PCs to mobile to cloud computing. We believe the company’s leading brand and device ecosystem position it to do equally well in the AI age, and this was the driver of our decision to re-invest. “Apple Intelligence” – the AI strategy unveiled at Apple’s recent Worldwide Developer Conference – leverages on[1]device AI and integrations with tools like ChatGPT to enhance user experiences across its ecosystem. The AI suite enables users to create new images, summarize and generate text, and use Siri to perform actions across their mobile applications, all while maintaining user privacy and security. We think Apple Intelligence can drive accelerated product upgrade cycles and higher demand for Apple services. The combination of growth re-acceleration, increasing services contribution, and thoughtful capital allocation should continue driving long-term shareholder value.”

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is the largest stakeholder in the company from among the funds in Insider Monkey’s database. It owns 400,000,000 shares worth $84.25 billion as of Q2.

Overall AAPL ranks 3rd on our list of the best internet content stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of AAPL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than APPL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: $30 Trillion Opportunity: 15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy According to Morgan Stanley and Jim Cramer Says NVIDIA ‘Has Become A Wasteland’.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published on Insider Monkey.