What Our Analysts Know About Apple

Apple logged a 0.2% change during today's afternoon session, and is now trading at a price of $196.3 per share.

Apple returned gains of 48.1% last year, with its stock price reaching a high of $199.62 and a low of $124.17. Over the same period, the stock outperformed the S&P 500 index by 24.0%. More recently, the company's 50-day average price was $184.16. Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. Based in Cupertino, CA, the large-cap Technology company has 161,000 full time employees. Apple has offered a 0.5% dividend yield over the last 12 months.

Growing Revenues With a Flat Capital Expenditure Trend:

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Revenue (MM) $265,595 $260,174 $274,515 $365,817 $394,328 $383,285
Revenue Growth n/a -2.04% 5.51% 33.26% 7.79% -2.8%
Operating Margins 27% 25% 24% 30% 30% 30%
Net Margins 22% 21% 21% 26% 25% 25%
Net Income (MM) $59,531 $55,256 $57,411 $94,680 $99,803 $96,995
Net Interest Expense (MM) $3,240 $3,576 $2,873 $2,645 $2,931 $3,933
Depreciation & Amort. (MM) $10,903 $12,547 $11,056 $11,284 $11,104 $11,519
Earnings Per Share $2.98 $2.97 $3.28 $5.61 $6.11 $6.13
EPS Growth n/a -0.34% 10.44% 71.04% 8.91% 0.33%
Diluted Shares (MM) 20,000 18,596 17,528 16,865 16,326 15,813
Free Cash Flow (MM) $64,121 $58,896 $73,365 $92,953 $111,443 $99,584
Capital Expenditures (MM) $13,313 $10,495 $7,309 $11,085 $10,708 $10,959
Current Ratio 1.3 1.6 1.16 1.04 0.94 0.99
Total Debt (MM) $73,154 $68,499 $73,735 $79,358 $111,239 $61,405
Net Debt / EBITDA 0.34 0.37 0.48 0.35 0.69 0.25

Apple benefits from growing revenues and a flat capital expenditure trend, low leverage, and decent operating margins with a stable trend. The company's financial statements show a strong EPS growth trend and irregular cash flows.

Apple's Valuation Is in Line With Its Sector Averages:

Apple has a trailing twelve month P/E ratio of 30.0, compared to an average of 35.0 for the Technology sector. Based on its EPS guidance of $6.56, the company has a forward P/E ratio of 28.1. Apple's PEG ratio is 3.34 on the basis of the 9.0% weighted average of the company and the broader market's EPS compound average growth rates. This suggests that the company's shares are overvalued. Furthermore, Apple is likely overvalued compared to the book value of its equity, since its P/B ratio of 49.11 is higher than the sector average of 7.92. The company's shares are currently trading 741.0% above their Graham number. Ultimately, Apple's strong cash flows, decent earnings multiple, and healthy debt levels factor towards it being fairly valued, its elevated P/B ratio notwithstanding.

Apple Has an Average Rating of Buy:

The 39 analysts following Apple have set target prices ranging from $145.94 to $229.46 per share, for an average of $182.21 with a buy rating. As of April 2023, the company is trading 1.1% away from its average target price, indicating that there is an analyst consensus of little upside potential.

Apple has a very low short interest because 0.7% of the company's shares are sold short. Institutions own 61.7% of the company's shares, and the insider ownership rate stands at 0.07%, suggesting a small amount of insider investors. The largest shareholder is Vanguard Group Inc, whose 8% stake in the company is worth $255,189,441,175.

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.

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