Apple is almost a $1 trillion company, but watch out for Amazon

Thứ Bảy, 12/05/2018, 12:01

Apple is on the verge of becoming the first $1 trillion publicly listed U.S. company, but even if it gets there, it could soon be overtaken as Amazon.com surges from behind.

Started in the garage of co-founder Steve Jobs in 1976, the iPhone maker’s annual revenue has ballooned to $229 billion, greater than the gross domestic product of countries including Portugal and New Zealand.

Apple’s market capitalization on Thursday topped a record $934 billion, following its unveiling last week of a $100 billion buyback budget and news that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway dramatically increased its stake in the company.

Thanks to a 12 percent rally since its quarterly report last Tuesday, the Cupertino, California company is just 8 percent short of hitting the $1 trillion valuation mark.

Pointing to Apple’s recent 31 percent jump in service revenue, including music streaming and online storage, CFRA analyst Angelo Zino on Wednesday upped his target price for the stock from $195 to $210, which would put Apple’s market capitalization at $1.03 trillion. Zino joins at least 12 other analysts with price targets putting Apple’s stock market value at 13 digits.

But Apple is in danger of being beaten to the $1 trillion mark - or passed soon after - by Amazon.com, the second largest listed U.S. company by market value, at $780 billion.

Saudi Arabian authorities, meanwhile, have said they expect a planned international initial public offering of Saudi Aramco that would value the national oil producer at about $2 trillion.

While $148 billion smaller than Apple on Friday, Amazon of late has expanded its stock price, and its sales, much more quickly than Apple. Amazon’s stock is red hot, trading recently at over 100 times expected earnings, compared to more-profitable - but slower growing - Apple’s valuation of 15 times earnings.

Reuters