How to buy Apple shares | $132.74

The global stock market experienced significant losses in late March due to the coronavirus outbreak. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) shares didn't escape the sell-off, with the AAPL share price dropping from its previous all-time high in February due to supplier constraints.

But Apple bounced back, and cruised to a new all-time high in early June on the back of new phone releases and praise from analysts about its in-house development capabilities.

In case you somehow didn't know, Apple is an American technology company based in California and one of the most valuable companies in the world. Apple is part of the world's “Big Tech” companies with Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Netflix. These are sometimes referred to as "FAANG" stocks.

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How has coronavirus impacted Apple's share price?

Since the stock market crash that started in February 2020, Apple's share price has had significant positive movement.

Its last market close was $121.085, which is 35.37% up on its pre-crash value of $78.26 (accounting for the 30 August 2020 split) and 127.82% up on the lowest point reached during the March 2020 crash when the shares fell as low as $53.15 (accounting for the 30 August 2020 split).

If you had bought $1,000 worth of Apple shares at the start of February 2020, those shares would have been worth $726.96 at the bottom of the March crash, and if you held on to them, then as of the last market close they'd be worth $1,569.26.

Apple share price

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Fees for buying 5x Apple shares with popular platforms

Both exchange rates and share prices fluctuate in real time, so the costs presented here should be considered as a guide only. They do not incorporate stamp duty. Always refer to the platform itself for availability and pricing – which may differ from our information.

Platform	Platform fee	Min. initial deposit	Trading fee estimate
	£0	No minimum	£4.78 £483.25 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	$200	£2.39 £480.85 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£0.01	£0.93 £479.39 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£50	£2.41 £480.87 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£1	£16.75 £495.21 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£9.99 per month	No minimum	£15.18 £493.64 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£36 per year	£20	£15.50 £493.96 total	Read review Capital at risk

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Is it a good time to buy Apple stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Is Apple under- or over-valued?

Valuing a stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge value.

P/E ratio

Apple's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 36x. In other words, Apple shares trade at around 36x recent earnings.

That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.

However, Apple's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the consumer electronics industry or those of similar companies.

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): 34.41
• Facebook (FB.US): 28.23
• Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 83.06
• Netflix (NFLX.US): 61.60
• Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 31.89

PEG ratio

Apple's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 3.0445. Higher PEG ratios such as this can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value given the current rate of growth.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Apple's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

However, it's sensible to consider Apple's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): 2.50
• Facebook (FB.US): 1.25
• Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 1.59
• Netflix (NFLX.US): 1.57
• Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 1.61

EBITDA

Apple's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping $85.2 billion (£61.4 billion).

The EBITDA is a measure of a Apple's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

To put that into context you can compare it against similar companies.

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): USD$75.6 billion
• Facebook (FB.US): USD$45.4 billion
• Amazon-com (AMZN.US): USD$48.1 billion
• Netflix (NFLX.US): USD$5.7 billion
• Alphabet (GOOGL.US): USD$63 billion

How to short and sell Apple shares

1. Create a CFD or spread betting account.
2. Search for the stock code. E.g. "AAPL.US"
3. Choose your position size.
4. Select "sell" rather than "buy".
5. Confirm your position and keep tabs on it. You may wish to set limits on your position.

There are currently 127.9 million Apple shares held short by investors – that's known as the "short interest". This figure is 28.6% up from 99.5 million last month.

There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting Apple shares can be evaluated.

Short interest ratio (SIR)

Apple's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of Apple shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of Apple shares traded daily (recently around 99.2 million). Apple's SIR currently stands at 1.29. In other words for every 100,000 Apple shares traded daily on the market, roughly 1290 shares are currently held short.

To gain some more context, you can compare Apple's short interest ratio against those of similar companies.

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): 2.11
• Facebook (FB.US): 1.5
• Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 1.79
• Netflix (NFLX.US): 2.88
• Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 2.69

However Apple's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of Apple shares, or, against the total number of tradable Apple shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case Apple's short interest could be expressed as 0.01% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 Apple shares in existence, roughly 10 shares are currently held short) or 0.0076% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable Apple shares, roughly 8 shares are currently held short).

Such a low SIR usually points to an optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against Apple.

Find out more about how you can short Apple stock.

Environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Apple.

Total ESG risk score

Apple's total ESG risk: 26.15

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Apple's overall score of 26.15 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 37th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Apple is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

To gain some more context, you can compare Apple's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): 18.94
• Facebook (FB.US): 29.40
• Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 33.42
• Netflix (NFLX.US): 21.55
• Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 20.35

Environmental score

Apple's environmental score: 0.99/100

Apple's environmental score of 0.99 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Apple is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Social score

Apple's social score: 13.98/100

Apple's social score of 13.98 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Apple is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Governance score

Apple's governance score: 11.18/100

Apple's governance score puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Apple is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Controversy score

Apple's controversy score: 3/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. A high-profile company, Apple scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Apple hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.

Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): 3
• Facebook (FB.US): 4
• Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 3
• Netflix (NFLX.US): 2
• Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 4

Apple share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 16.37% of net profits

Recently Apple has paid out, on average, around 16.37% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0.61% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), shareholders could enjoy a 0.61% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Apple's case, that would currently equate to about $0.807 per share.

While Apple's payout ratio might seem low, this can signify that the company is investing more in its future growth.

Apple's most recent dividend payout was on 10 February 2021. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 4 February 2021 (the "ex-dividend date").

Apple's dividend payout ratio is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): 25.29%
• Facebook (FB.US): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
• Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
• Netflix (NFLX.US): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
• Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)

Have Apple's shares ever split?

Apple's shares were split on a 4:1 basis on 30 August 2020. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 4 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Apple shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 75% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Apple shares which in turn could have impacted Apple's share price.

Share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Apple's shares have ranged in value from as little as $71.0286 up to $144.8735. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NASDAQ average) beta is 1, while Apple's is 1.2195. This would suggest that Apple's shares are a little bit more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a slightly higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).

To put Apple's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): 0.7943
• Facebook (FB.US): 1.2863
• Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 1.123
• Netflix (NFLX.US): 0.7948
• Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 0.9956

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Frequently asked questions

• Where can I buy Apple (AAPL) shares in the UK?

  While Apple shares are only listed on the NASDAQ, you can still buy Apple stock in the UK provided you have an account with a broker or trading platform that offers access to the US stock market. Many UK trading platforms offer commission-free trading on US stocks, but you may need to pay a currency conversion or FX fee when you buy Apple shares.

• What percentage of Apple is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 0.076% of Apple shares are held by insiders and 59.765% by institutions.

• How many people work for Apple?

  Latest data suggests 147,000 work at Apple.

• When does the fiscal year end for Apple?

  Apple's fiscal year ends in September.

• Where is Apple based?

  Apple's address is: One Apple Park Way, Cupertino, CA, United States, 95014

• What is Apple's ISIN number?

  Apple's international securities identification number is: US0378331005

• What is Apple's CUSIP number?

  Apple's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number is: 037833100