Is Now The Time To Look At Buying Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)?

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Today we're going to take a look at the well-established Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The company's stock saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NASDAQGS. As a large-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Apple’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

See our latest analysis for Apple

What is Apple worth?

According to my valuation model, Apple seems to be fairly priced at around 12.18% above my intrinsic value, which means if you buy Apple today, you’d be paying a relatively fair price for it. And if you believe the company’s true value is $177.2, there’s only an insignificant downside when the price falls to its real value. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Apple’s beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company’s shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.

Can we expect growth from Apple?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. However, with a relatively muted profit growth of 0.5% expected over the next couple of years, growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for Apple, at least in the short term.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? AAPL’s future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at the stock? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below its fair value?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on AAPL, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the positive outlook means it’s worth further examining other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters – the fundamentals – before you make a decision on Apple. You can find everything you need to know about Apple in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Apple, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.