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How to buy Apple shares
How do you like them Apples? Learn how to invest in the iconic tech company with more money than the US treasury. Share price changes are updated daily.
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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.
How to buy shares in Apple
- Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
- Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
- Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
- Search the platform for stock code: AAPL in this case.
- Research Apple shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
- Buy your Apple shares. It's that simple.
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What's in this guide?
- Can I buy shares in Apple?
- Has coronavirus impacted Apple shares?
- Apple shares summary
- Compare share dealing platforms
- Is Apple stock a buy or sell?
- Can I short Apple shares?
- Is Apple suitable for ethical investing?
- Are Apple shares over-valued?
- Apple's financials
- How volatile are Apple shares?
- Does Apple pay a dividend?
- Have Apple shares ever split?
- Other common questions
How has Coronavirus impacted Apple's share price?
Since the stock market crash in March caused by coronavirus, Apple's share price has had significant positive movement.
Its last market close was $115.98, which is 32.52% up on its pre-crash value of $78.26 (accounting for the 31 August 2020 split) and 118.21% up on the lowest point reached during the March crash when the shares fell as low as $53.15 (accounting for the 31 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 $1,503.10.
Apple share price
Use our graph to track the performance of AAPL stocks over time.Apple shares at a glance
Information last updated 2020-11-24.
| 52-week range | $52.8225 - $137.7424 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | $116.6933 |
| 200-day moving average | $104.2804 |
| Wall St. target price | $124.81 |
| PE ratio | 35.7744 |
| Dividend yield | $0.82 (0.72%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | $3.28 |
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
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 Apple stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Apple's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
Apple's 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): 33.93
- Facebook (FB.US): 30.72
- Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 90.63
- Netflix (NFLX.US): 77.00
- Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 33.58
Apple's PEG ratio
Apple's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 2.9439. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
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): 2.46
- Facebook (FB.US): 0.90
- Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 1.20
- Netflix (NFLX.US): 2.05
- Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 1.52
Apple's EBITDA
Apple's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping $77.3 billion (£57.8 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a Apple's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
To put Apple's EBITDA into context you can compare it against that of similar companies.
- Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): USD$68.1 billion
- Facebook (FB.US): USD$30.2 billion
- Amazon-com (AMZN.US): USD$43.7 billion
- Netflix (NFLX.US): USD$4.2 billion
- Alphabet (GOOGL.US): USD$48.1 billion
Apple financials
| Revenue TTM | $274.5 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 24.15% |
| Gross profit TTM | $105 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 12.51% |
| Return on equity TTM | 73.69% |
| Profit margin | 20.91% |
| Book value | $3.849 |
| Market capitalisation | $2 trillion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
How to short and sell Apple shares
- Create a CFD or spread betting account.
- Search for the stock code. E.g. "AAPL.US"
- Choose your position size.
- Select "sell" rather than "buy".
- Confirm your position and keep tabs on it. You may wish to set limits on your position.
There are currently 80.5 million Apple shares held short by investors – that's known as Apple's "short interest". This figure is 3.3% down from 83.3 million last month.
There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting Apple shares can be evaluated.
Apple's "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 132.0 million). Apple's SIR currently stands at 0.61. In other words for every 100,000 Apple shares traded daily on the market, roughly 610 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): 1.27
- Facebook (FB.US): 1.05
- Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 0.6
- Netflix (NFLX.US): 1.51
- Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 1.51
However Apple's short interest can also be evaluated 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 0.0047% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable Apple shares, roughly 5 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.
Apple's 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.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
Apple's total ESG risk score
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 01/01/2019) 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
Apple's environmental score
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.
Apple's social score
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.
Apple's governance score
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.
Apple's controversy score
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
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
Apple Inc was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.
| Total ESG score | 26.15 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 36.8 |
| Environmental score | 0.99 |
| Environmental score percentile | 5 |
| Social score | 13.98 |
| Social score percentile | 5 |
| Governance score | 11.18 |
| Governance score percentile | 5 |
| Level of controversy | 3 |
Apple share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 43.5% of net profits
Recently Apple has paid out, on average, around 43.5% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0.72% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Apple shareholders could enjoy a 0.72% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Apple's case, that would currently equate to about $0.82 per share.
While Apple's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Apple may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
Apple's most recent dividend payout was on 12 November 2020. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 6 November 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").
Apple's dividend payout ratio is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
- Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US): 33.76%
- 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 31 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.
Apple share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, Apple's shares have ranged in value from as little as $52.8225 up to $137.7424. 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 1.354. This would suggest that Apple's shares are more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a 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): 0.8681
- Facebook (FB.US): 1.2717
- Amazon-com (AMZN.US): 1.2988
- Netflix (NFLX.US): 1.0158
- Alphabet (GOOGL.US): 1.0231
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Apple overview
Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. It also sells various related services. The company offers iPhone, a line of smartphones; Mac, a line of personal computers; iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets; and wearables, home, and accessories comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, HomePod, iPod touch, and other Apple-branded and third-party accessories. It also provides AppleCare support services; cloud services store services; and operates various platforms, including the App Store, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games, and podcasts. In addition, the company offers various services, such as Apple Arcade, a game subscription service; Apple Music, which offers users a curated listening experience with on-demand radio stations; Apple News+, a subscription news and magazine service; Apple TV+, which offers exclusive original content; Apple Card, a co-branded credit card; and Apple Pay, a cashless payment service, as well as licenses its intellectual property. The company serves consumers, and small and mid-sized businesses; and the education, enterprise, and government markets. It sells and delivers third-party applications for its products through the App Store. The company also sells its products through its retail and online stores, and direct sales force; and third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and resellers. Apple Inc. was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.
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