Introduction
Almost any person today can invest in a large company. There is no need to have a financial education; however, some particular knowledge can be useful. It is just enough to invest in a specific enterprise and monitor what positions it takes in the market. The decision to put money into Apple is quite evident since this corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of digital equipment.
With the introduction of the iPhone to the world market, and Apple’s primary product, the popularity of this company has skyrocketed, and many investors are deciding to invest in this corporation. For a person who is not familiar with the specifics of money deposits in securities, it is necessary to know more about the policy of a specific company to assess its prospects for the development and weigh all the pros and cons. Therefore, one of the central questions is whether the investment in Apple is justified and potentially profitable, and what advantages the participation in the work of this corporation gives a shareholder.
Basic Principles of Investing
Many people have heard that it is possible to invest money in shares and earn on it. Despite the extensive popularity of this method, quite a few know how the securities work, what they can give, and how the process of buying and selling is going on. The primary reason for investing in securities is the possibility of high profits. It is almost impossible to go broke completely. Certainly, stakeholders can lose a part of their funds, but if they competently manage their concerns about buying and selling shares, as a rule, they benefit from it.
Features of Apple and Its Share Policy
Over the past few years, Apple shares have shown quite good results. The company’s high-tech products, including iTunes, iPad, and iPhone, have positively influenced the corporation’s success in recent years and contributed to rapid growth. Deciding to invest in Apple shares, a person needs to determine how many securities should be bought first to get the desired profit. Even if stakeholders want to put much money into a particular enterprise to buy a lot of shares, they are unlikely to succeed.
Despite a significant decline in value over the past year (the price of one share is less by about $ 200), the securities of this corporation still cost a lot (“Apple Inc. Common Stock Quote & Summary Data”). One of the possible reasons for the decline in value is cyclicity, that is, a natural recession after long growth. Today, investing in Apple often occurs indirectly, when a shareholder invests money in the partners of the company, mutual or stock investment funds. These measures make it possible to spend less money but are still profitable.
Apple is one of the most common assets of most mutual and index funds. Even in those structures that are very well diversified, the share of Apple’s securities is quite high (in some cases it reaches 20%) (“Apple Inc. Common Stock Quote & Summary Data”). Investing in such funds is cheaper and less risky than buying corporate securities directly. It means that any stakeholder can invest in popular and profitable shares in several alternative ways, which is less expensive and dangerous than buying them directly. Accordingly, the chance to earn more in this case increases, and the risk of losing a large part of financial resources decreases. It is a natural process, and a shareholder-beginner should know it.
Advantages of Investing in Apple
Despite a relatively unsuccessful economic strategy of the past years, Apple has managed to regain the confidence of investors, due to which its shares have increased by 40% since the beginning of the year. Consequently, the growth in sales is resumed. Long before 2016, analysts’ forecasts warned that the value of the corporation’s securities directly depends on the popularity of the iPhone among consumers since it is the title product of the company (Khan et al. 961). Therefore, few were surprised by Apple’s setbacks last year that was caused by the news about a decline in the sales of a new line of smartphones in comparison with the previous launch.
Nevertheless, today, the situation has improved. It is forecasted that by the end of the year, the company’s revenue will increase by 15% and its net profit will be higher by 20% (“Apple Inc. Common Stock Quote & Summary Data”). Furthermore, there was significant growth in the segment of services: applications, games, and additional online services. According to many analysts’ forecasts, all of these advantages can be helpful for the growth of Apple shares price just after the launch of new products.
Starting from 2016, the size of payments to shareholders has increased by 66% (“Apple Inc. Common Stock Quote & Summary Data”). According to analysts, it indicates that the company’s management has begun to treat its investors with even greater respect. At the same time, many experts predict that 25% of Apple’s profits will be spent on dividends next year, which is a rather good incentive for buying the securities of the corporation (“Apple Inc. Common Stock Quote & Summary Data”). Therefore, investing in this company is quite a reasonable and justified decision from an economic point of view.
Possible Risks
Risks and possible ways of how to avoid them are a significant topic. If stakeholders neglect this issue, it will be complicated for them to work in this direction. It is essential to calculate income correctly and do it not to lose available funds before there is an apparent profit. As for Apple, some negative aspects need to be taken into account. For example, despite the significant success of the past ten years, the company does not show as good results as its investors would like (Heracleous 93). Also, it is important to remember that smartphones are two-thirds of Apple’s sales (Khan et a. 957). Accordingly, if the next model of the line will be a failure regarding sales, there is a severe risk of losing money.
Sales areas and regions are also essential. Recently, the production of digital goods in the East and in particular in China has increased. Apple has already lost potential customers in this region because the level of sales of local technology is high, and Chinese products are in demand worldwide. This factor of market loss can also hurt the level of profit (Heracleous 95). If the IT-sphere starts to develop in other regions, it can become a rather weighty reason for investors’ anxiety. Even though the company spends billions of dollars on the development and design of its products, competitive corporations have also made significant progress in this area. If consumers start preferring products of a different brand, it will disrupt Apple’s work and inevitably affect its investors who will lose potential profits.
Ways to Reduce Risks
It is necessary to react timely to any changes in the market and monitor trends in the sphere of IT-technologies. By opening a bank account, a person can determine how the amount of a particular deposit will increase over time. Things are different with dividends since the price of a share is a variable that is not constant. Potential income can be calculated: it is necessary to divide the amount of remuneration per stock into the value of the securities for which they were purchased and multiply the result by 100% (Khan et al. 958). As a rule, in different companies, these indicators differ: annual income can be 2%, 5%, 10%, or more.
One of the potential dangers of investing is that the more prices fluctuate, the higher a risk level is. Perhaps, this factor restrains many people and encourages them to put money into proven spheres. The basic rule is that the market situation is steadily changing. Income from shares is possible only if a person can assess the current situation correctly and invest money in the time when the positions of a particular company (for example, Apple) are high.
Conclusion
Thus, investment in Apple can be justified and potentially profitable. Advantages include the ability to own securities of one of the world’s largest companies in the field of IT-technologies, as well as the growing popularity of this brand among consumers, which positively influences sales. Nevertheless, it is important to remember about possible risks, and a reaction to any changes in the market can help not to lose money.
Ratio Analysis
Works Cited
“Apple Inc. Common Stock Quote & Summary Data.” Nasdaq.
Heracleous, Loizos. “Quantum Strategy at Apple Inc.” Organizational Dynamics, vol. 42, no. 1, 2013, pp. 92-99.
Khan, Usman A. et al. “A Critical Analysis of Internal and External Environment of Apple Inc.” International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, vol. 3, no. 6, 2015, pp. 955-967.