Apple Now Worth $700 Billion with Stocks Touching All-Time High
Apple's recent product releases and overhauls may have been for the better as the company now reaches a $700-billion market cap. It has not always been a smooth ride for the company as it hit innovative roadblock and tough competition. Nonetheless, it was able to turn things around even reaching all-time high stocks recently. Is Apple in it for the good?
Apple's stocks peaked in the past week posting $114 last November 14. Prior to the seven-to-one-stock split earlier this year, the company would have gone to $800 according to the Motley Fool. Although Apple's $800 is already ahead of the presplit $705 in 2012, still, it was just this past week that the company posted an all-time high market capitalization.
According to 24/7 Wall Street, Apple's shares are up about 54% for the past 12 months. Since the start of 2014, shares are up roughly 42%. The release of the new iPhones also helps boost the stocks pushing to a 16% increase. After the company shared its earnings report, shares went up by 11%.
For the most part, Apple remains the most profitable company across the world excluding those backed up by the Chinese government. The company is also best known for having one of the highest brand loyalty rates among its products like headphones, tablets and smartphones. Throughout the years, this has been Apple's weapon against competition.
Its brand loyalty ensures that the company can covert retention to margins and profits. Despite the bumps along the way, Apple manages to stay on top. Its rival, Samsung, is not doing well at the moment with sales slumping continuously.
The bigger question now is whether Apple can hold its ground and work its way to the $700 billion market cap and above. At the moment, this seems possible as the company continues to hold 40% of the U.S. smartphone market. Apple accounts more than half of its net income recently to its smartphone sales. Looking the closed and strong ecosystem, analysts see Apple maintaining its position granted no major missteps are taken along the way. So long as the company can guarantee its stable stream of consumers then it is possible to work beyond the market cap.