Apple's Stock Off to Fast Start in 2012 with 50-Point Gain in January

right now Apple's market capita is more than twice microsoft's was 1 month ago

I saw this stock around $360-$370 just a few months ago, but I don't really have the money to make it worth my while.

Way to go Apple.

I understand how people can be turned off by high priced stocks ... but it's all about % return. Higher priced stocks and low priced stocks tend to fluctuate the same % amount.

ok, i'l wait for the soar but when Apple starts paying dividends i'm out. Steve Jobs hoarded this mountain of money for something, i'm afraid that Tim Cook just isn't that ambitious to make good use of it.

What would Apple do with 100 B dollars? Apple did learn a lot about large and impressive buildings lately. :cool:

Steve never wanted to be in the position he was again back with Apple the first time around...that is why he was so cautious with money.

But remember, Apple's view is that it doesn't buy/acquire things it doesn't need, where many companies buy something, like a competitor and then just let it flounder and die where Apple just destroys the competitor with their own product and lets the competitor die on it's own.

What can Apple do with 100B Dollars...pretty much anything it damn well wants to is the correct answer =)

There are lots of articles on what it could buy with that much money...it's pretty staggering. Just do a search for them.

I wish my pap pap wouldve bought that Apple stock 10 years ago...

MacRumors... You got your terminology confused.

The stock is up 13 points in January... ($50). Not up 50 points. :rolleyes:

You actually are confused... :rolleyes:

I saw this stock around $360-$370 just a few months ago, but I don't really have the money to make it worth my while.

When it was selling for $360, you only had to invest $360 to buy a single share, which would have returned 26% by now. If the stock was the price (at $180) you would have purchased two shares which would each be worth $230 now, but you'd still be up 26%. The price doesn't matter. It's the percent gain that counts.

When they start paying dividends it will soar...then a split...

Both in 2012!

When they start paying dividends it will drop. Dividends take cash out of the equation, naturally resulting in a lower valuation; if Apple pays out 10 bn in dividends, cap drops 10bn. Simple as that.

Bought at $40

I thought I was crazy when I held onto it as it dropped from $200 to $80.:confused:

Turns out I WAS crazy... for not buying more, as some recommended.

AAPL is still a good buy. I can see it easily being $550 within a year. That's a >20% gain... better than most investments.

Of course, with the fast start, and the pop from the earnings release has come the torrent of "is Apple overpriced" "analyses."

(FD - I am long AAPL).

I think the stock still has a way to go, but we'll see what happens as the quarter progresses. Hopefully we'll see an iPad 3 announcement this quarter (but I'm guessing it won't be available until the next fiscal quarter). Given Intel's timeline, we likely won't see MacBook Pro or MacBook Air updates until April or May. Of course, there are always the rumors surrounding the Apple TV. For this quarter, I think the news will be limited to how well the iPhone 4S does in China, and whether it maintains its momentum in North America and Europe.

I don't own any AAPL stock, but I agree with you on the upside for AAPL. If you look at 2012, here is what is coming:

Q2: iPhone 4S sales to China, iPad 3 release in USA+others
Q3: Continued iPhone 4S rollout, iPad 3 rollout to China
Q4: iPhone 5/6 release in USA

Throw in the fact that Apple may be jumping into the television market, it seems there is nothing but upside for Apple the company.

The stock on the other hand has been historically undervalued, especially when you look at the PE ratio. Investors could look at Apple going from 90% of the 55-million-strong tablet market to 70% of a 200-million-strong tablet market as a down turn. Investors are easily scared off and easily enticed when it comes to Apple -- this is because the analysts don't know what to make of AAPL.

Investors are not used to companies doing basic things like being wise with their cash, building a focused offering of quality products, providing long-term product support and achieving 90%+ customer satisfaction to foster repeat business. Apple is the premier manufacturer straddling so many growing markets, they should stand to make a whole lot of money regardless of what Wall Street thinks.

Keep in mind that Apple's Q4 from last year was registered as a disappointment by Wall Street because Apple only met, but did not exceed, analyst expectations even though they exceeded all their guidance. That's like saying an undefeated NBA team that merely wins the game but does not cover the spread does not have a shot at the playoffs. The media keeps writing stories that will keep AAPL stock undervalued. The media is looking for any sign of AAPL's downturn because they don't know how to fathom what Apple has done.

Anyway, their should be a point in time where everybody realizes that Apple is going to keep increasing profit for a while because they are selling in growing industries and emerging markets. When that happens, the stock should do a rapid catch-up (the reverse of a bubble popping). It should happen just about when AAPL has enough cash in the bank that they could afford to buy back half their outstanding shares. At the current rate, their bank account is growing faster than their stock price.

Not most valuable public company. Most valuable common equity of a public company.

Stop.

MacRumors... You got your terminology confused.

The stock is up 13 points in January... ($50). Not up 50 points. :rolleyes:

In theory, the word "point" is used in reference to dollars, not percentages, but few, if any, people uses "points" to describe stocks on a daily basis. Its cents, bucks, and percents.