Apple on course to hit a $2 trillion valuation

Two years ago, Apple became the first company to reach a $1 trillion market valuation. This week, several analysts have begun eyeing the next milestone, with the company on course to break above $2 trillion.

In a note to investors earlier this week, Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani expressed his optimism for Apple stock and provided a blueprint for how the company could drive its share price higher and reach its next landmark valuation.

In terms of timeline, the Evercore analyst believes the stock can reach a $2 trillion market cap over the course of the next four years, implying a 13% - 17% annual appreciation in share price.

Daryanani’s outlook is based on the company’s core business growing year-on-year, with the analyst predicting that Apple could see its earnings per share (EPS) hitting $23 by September 2024 – almost double his EPS estimate of $12.72 for this year.

Apple opened at $323.34 per share on Wednesday.

Evercore lifts target price for Apple stock

Due to the investment bank’s upbeat outlook, Evercore reiterated its ‘outperform’ rating for the stock and lifted its target price for Apple from $345 to $360 per share, implying a potential upside of 11%.

‘Apple continues to offer the best risk/reward in large-cap tech and long-term investors should use any weakness to add to positions,’ Daryanani said in the note.

Apple is already closing in on analysts’ median price target of $323.79 per share, with the stock on course to break above that level this week.

Double-digit growth expected from Apple services and wearables

Evercore is particularly excited about the growth prospects of Apple’s services and wearables division, with the investment bank forecasting double-digit growth for both units.

Daryanani said that sales from the company’s wearable technology, such as its Apple Watch and AirPod Pro headphones, could generate revenues of over $60 billion in the years ahead, with its services division capable of generating $100 billion in sales over the period.

The analyst also had good news for shareholders, with him predicting that Apple will continue to buyback shares to reduce its share count by around 1 billion over the next four years, which would also help it in achieving its $2 trillion valuation.

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There are three ways to ‘buy’ US shares with IG: spread betting, trading CFDs or buying physical shares. How much it costs will depend on which method you choose. The table below illustrates how the costs to get exposure to $12,750 of Tesla stock, which is equivalent to 17 shares (quoted at $750 a share, at a GBP/USD rate of 1.305).

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Cost to get exposure to Tesla stock

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Note: The above is accurate as of 10 March 2020, and amounts do not include overnight funding charges and taxes.

Spread bets are not subject to tax. CFDs are free from stamp duty, but subject to capital gains tax. Share dealing is subject to both stamp duty and capital gains tax.