Apple’s market value tops $5 trillion again. Is it too late to buy?
The company first crossed that mark in July
Apple unveiled a new device, Apple HomeView, on Tuesday / Photo: Apple
Apple’s market capitalization topped $5 trillion again in Wednesday trading, Yahoo Finance reported. The milestone came just under three months after the company first reached that level in late July.
The company returned to that market value a month and a half after John Ternus took over as CEO from Tim Cook, who stepped down on September 1. Since then, Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo smartphones and announced a new device, the HomeView smart home hub, on Tuesday.
The iPhone maker’s shares rose as much as 1.7% on Wednesday to $347.09 apiece before paring the gain to less than 1%. The stock is up around 26% year to date and almost 40% over the last 12 months.
Can Apple keep the gains going?
Resilient iPhone sales in 2026, driven by a new upgrade cycle, have helped lift Apple’s market value, Yahoo Finance writes. However, Nikkei Asia reported that the company had asked some suppliers to cut production of components for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max as price increases weighed on demand.
The company has also established a clear AI strategy after investors sharply criticized it for falling behind in the race, Yahoo Finance adds. Apple has since struck a partnership with Google to use its AI models and rolled out several major updates to its Apple Intelligence platform, including integrating it into the Siri voice assistant.
The $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo could provide another boost to sales: its price could lift the iPhone lineup’s average selling price and Apple’s net income, Yahoo Finance suggests. Apple is also preparing to unveil its first touchscreen MacBook and updated iPads this month, Bloomberg reported. At the same time, the company is contending with memory and storage shortages that have forced it to raise prices for iPhones, iPads, and Macs, fueling concerns that sales could suffer.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its ambitions in the wireless market could pose a significant risk to Apple, BofA warned. The bank sees at least three major risks to Apple’s current business model, threatening iPhone sales through the three largest U.S. wireless carriers and raising the prospect of a competing SpaceX smartphone and accompanying ecosystem.
"Buy" remains the most popular recommendation among analysts covering Apple: the stock has 27 such calls versus 13 “hold” and five “sell” and “underweight” ratings, according to MarketWatch data. The average target price of $337.18 per share is 1.2% below the last close.
