apple shares?

[logicpro7]

possibly the wrong place to post this,but it is a kind of buying advice question! looking at the news on the possible release of an apple iphone,i was wondering what my fellow forum members think about buying apple shares at the minute?

i have a bit of money to invest and would like to look a bit further into the possibility of purchasing some.

who owns shares already and whos thinking of buying some and what are your views.

 

[crees!]

I have some shares but didn't get into AAPL till it was around $73 I'm happy to see it going up, finally. I bought the shares because I wanted them. I wanted them before when the stock price was around $30-40 some but still bought when I did eventhough it was high at the time. I'd like to say just do it but I really don't know much on this subject.

 

[IJ Reilly]

As a long time AAPL investor, I should warn anyone considering buying in that owning Apple shares is the stock market equivalent of riding a radical roller coaster. You shut your eyes a lot of the time, and hope for the best. At the moment, AAPL is near the all-time high it reached in January. This is either good or bad, depending on how you look at it (and when you bought in). The good side is obvious -- perhaps AAPL will break through this high and keep moving up. On the downside, it's worth considering that AAPL was down as much as 40% from that high earlier in the year. So this is another possible scenario, and of course you won't know which path the stock will take until it happens. If you can take the drama, go for it -- just don't invest money you'll want to use for something else any time soon.

 

[Kace]

my roi on AAPL in the past 3 years has been close to 700% (cumulative). last time i bought was arnd 4 months ago at $51.... so far so good!!!

its a bit tricky to make a call right now. i say stay away for a while. wait till they go down (MWSF, no matter what they bring out the shares are gonna take a hit).

ideal time to buy is around a week before they announce their quarterly results.

 

[IJ Reilly]

(MWSF, no matter what they bring out the shares are gonna take a hit).

This did not happen last January -- AAPL hit new highs during the week of MWSF. if one rule-of-thumb like this always worked, then investing would be easy. It isn't because it doesn't.

 

[Swarmlord]

I've owned 400 shares for quite a while and have held them through the best and worst of times. I plan on holding them for quite a while longer because I'm not too worried about losing my investment.

 

[crees!]

How about a split? Anyone?

 

[IJ Reilly]

How about a split? Anyone?

Splits are essentially meaningless mathematical exercises, particularly for a company that pays no dividends. If AAPL continues to perform in this range then the board voting a split becomes fairly likely, but nobody ends up with more money as a result. In fact splits sometimes seem to cause small sell-offs.

 

[crees!]

Splits are essentially meaningless mathematical exercises, particularly for a company that pays no dividends. If AAPL continues to perform in this range then the board voting a split becomes fairly likely, but nobody ends up with more money as a result. In fact splits sometimes seem to cause small sell-offs.

But in the uneducated mindset like myself and others see a lower price as an opportunity to finally buy some stock.

 

[IJ Reilly]

But in the uneducated mindset like myself and others see a lower price as an opportunity to finally buy some stock.

It made more of a difference when brokers charged a higher commission for selling "odd lots" of shares (automatically, anything under 100 shares). But now it makes little difference how many you buy -- 50 shares at $100 is the same as 100 shares at $50. It's the dollars you invest, not the number of shares you get for the money. Take a look at Google -- they may never split, and nobody cares!

 

[mip54n6]

apple stock+splits

I have been an apple investor having bought in at around 20.00$/Share and have enjoyed a 341% increase in share value. I have also noted that historically when Apple hits the 90.00 mark they split and are certainly hoping to see another split. I also totally do not agree with IJ Reilly saying that "Splits are essentially meaningless mathematical exercises", especially in the case of Apple who does not pay out dividends, this to me is their way of thanking the investors. I can guarantee that if your stock splits 2 or 3:1 you will enjoy the gains in value you will see going forward. The days of the Apple stock roller coaster are long gone in my opinion. They have the best product line out there both from a hardware and software perspective. Their market share is increasing quarter over quarter and they're not going to stop. Assuming they maintain their quality and continue to remain competitive I see their stock as one of the best out there. The days of the Quedra and G3 are long gone...

 

[cecildk9999]

If you're going to invest, it's best not to put all your eggs in ones basket (or apples, for that matter). You may consider certain types of mutual funds depending on your level of experience, willingness for risk, and how long-term your investment will be. An Eaton Vance or Vanguard tax managed investment might suit you well, or putting money into your Roth. But I guess it all depends on your current investments, too; if this is extra money, it might be worth taking a chance.

 

[Cinematographer]

I can guarantee that if your stock splits 2 or 3:1 you will enjoy the gains in value you will see going forward.

Thanks for the guarantee.

Stock splits might encourage a few people to enter the market, but on the long run they are - as IJ Reilly said - "essentially meaningless mathematical exercises".

More important is the fact that AAPL easily broke through the January high of $ 86.40 and again through the psychological barrier of $ 90. I'm confident that these are strong support levels for AAPL.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Thanks for the guarantee.

I always ask for them in writing.

This week has been nice but lest we forget, AAPL is just now breaking through the high we saw back in January, and the meantime it hit a low of just above $50 and wandered in the neighborhood of $60-70 for a good part of the year. Counting your capital gains before you sell -- always a bad idea!

 

[SMM]

Lots of good stuff written here. My very wealthy brother-in-law schooled me about investing (still does actually). Some of his advice:

The Company:

1) Remember, you are investing in a company. How do you feel about the company and how it is being managed?

2) Well-managed companies will bounce back from market fluctuations.

3) Well-managed companies will retain investor confidence, even when negative issues arise.

4) Well-managed companies will have investors excited about the prospect of buying their stock on the down-turns.

Value:

1) It is easy to research the indicators of how a stock is valued. Learn the fundaments so you can make a sound decision.

2) Unless you possess expert knowledge about the company, and/or the industry, remain focused on performance, rather than speculating on potential.

3) If you are going to speculate, get in early and cheap. Anticipate losing it all and just ride it out.

I like how Apple is being managed. I like its' diversity and size. I began reading analyst's reports in 2003, when the stock started to move. It was an easy stock to buy in 2003/2004, which I did. I have continued to buy. The stock is trading up for the holiday season, especially since Vista is a non-player. I think, and this is just an opinion and not a recommendation, there may be a better buying window, between the WWDC, the earnings release and the Vista release. I am looking for another buy opportunity then. Most analysts all see the stock with 100+ upside.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Great advice! You might summarize it by saying, "keep your eye on the doughnut, and not on the hole."

 

[mip54n6]

Fair enough, I to like the varying opinions here! I still believe that we will see a split; the market is hotter for apple than they have been for a long time. Also the iPhone has terrific potential and may possibly bring apple into an entirely new market place (for them) creating competition and stir to long time players Motorola and Nokia. The iPod is not slowing down; Zune is not going to make a dent. I agree keeping your eye on the donut and not the hole but be open to the fact that Apple is in a better position with potential to continue to move the market and their own market share than ever. I don't see them slowing down...

 

[iñaki'sonMac'87]

If I have the money I would buy, mainly because I like the company, like their products and I have the confidence that, in time, it will get better results as their market shareincrease.

 

[Sun Baked]

If I have the money I would buy, mainly because I like the company, like their products and I have the confidence that, in time, it will get better results as their market shareincrease.

Yes, now that Apple sells a Windows capable PC -- marketshare increases are a rather good bet in the premium end of the PC market.

The end of the market with substantial profit, unlike the $299 PCs. So right now every level of Mac sales increase is real money, instead of revenue without profit or a loss like eMachines was.

But it still takes some time for that to gain substantial momentum.

Yet of all the PC makers, they haven't even come close to saturating the market for the easy sales (those sales they don't have to buy away from other PC makers with massive marketing or discount/rebate costs.)

 

[bwik]

Like many people, I am optimistic about AAPL.

I bought about 5 years ago and obviously the returns are really wonderful. I made a prediction in 2001 and everything turned out great.

But at this point, the valuation is still based on what happened in recent financials. This is how Wall Street values companies.

Wall Street is extremely sucky at predicting the future strategic moves of companies, and especially, the value of intellectual property a company is NOT using today but could use next year.

AAPL was at one time valued at only the cash Apple had in the bank!! The patents, sales and innovation were valued at absolutely ZERO!!!! This is why I bought in.

Today, the same factor is still somewhat true. Apple is not a coal mining firm. But analysts persist in valuing it that way. I see it a bit differently. What we have is a gamble. Apple could grow into a mammoth company by sales, especially regarding cell phones. It is transpiring that every man, woman and child in a number of countries will have a handheld computer / phone / entertainment device. Should Apple become the leader of that, and also grow in industrial computing, Apple will be one of the world's top firms by value (in the 100s of billions). This is because of (1) Apple's intellectual property and (2) its efficient marketing/sales of those ideas.

AAPL's position with consumers is exceptional. Their reputation in industry and government is growing by leaps and bounds.

There is no reason why, at the peak of this rise, Apple will not hold 20% of the US PC market (among comsumers, maybe 40%) and perhaps 5% of the phone market (even worldwide). When that happens, AAPL will be worth at least $250, one of the world's largest companies at $200 billion market cap. I believe it is somewhat likely (40%) that Apple will achieve this. With that in mind, AAPL is a decent buy at $90. That is why people are bidding it up that high.

 

[iñaki'sonMac'87]

is like a "show me the money" forum...... anyway, if you buy shares you better forget those shares for 3-5 years... or longer.... is not money that you will earn to buy something on the short term, better be kind of pay-your-sons-university

 

[Dunepilot]

What's the cheapest way of buying a few hundred £s worth of Apple shares in the UK?

Thanks in advance

 

[IJ Reilly]

AAPL was at one time valued at only the cash Apple had in the bank!! The patents, sales and innovation were valued at absolutely ZERO!!!! This is why I bought in.

Even a little less than cash asset value for a while, IIRC. Not only wasn't sales or intellectual property being factored in by the markets, neither was the company's massive real estate holdings. Apple was being treated by the equity markets like a company that was going out of business -- and soon -- which was crazy of course, but this was before the iPod kicked in and hardly anybody understood where Apple was going before then.

I'm optimistic about Apple's future or I would be a seller instead of holder. But I would caution any prospective investor that the current run-up is predicated at least in part on Apple releasing another blockbuster product (in this case a mobile phone). I suspect the markets are going to be at least a little disappointed by whatever Apple does release, and if they don't release the product at all (always possible), then hold onto your hats. We've seen it all before.

Investing in Apple takes patience. Apple has to hit one out of the park every time they come to the plate or they're seen by many to have failed. Microsoft, OTOH, can release products with little hope of ever making a profit on them, and hardly anyone flinches. It can be exasperating.

 

[Reaver]

I am interested in investing in Apple, I have been interested in this for a long time and want to get started while I have the funds to help me with my retirement fund .

I live in the US and was wondering if anyone could give me advice on where and how to start investing.

 

[ironjaw]

I've owned 400 shares for quite a while and have held them through the best and worst of times. I plan on holding them for quite a while longer because I'm not too worried about losing my investment.

After so many years, how did it turn out?