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Apple – A Value Investment for Now, an Asset for Tomorrow

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Apple has been the biggest wealth creator in the history of NASDAQ. But currently, hammered by the economic slowdown and geopolitical tension escalations, Apple is having a rough patch in its mostly smooth-sailing journey since the iPhone happened. But that presents a unique opportunity for long-term investors.

Apple has seen better days. Like the one when it became the first-ever publicly traded company having market capitalization in excess of $3 trillion. Right now, AAPL is roughly 15% down from its recent peaks.

With that being said, if you’re a value investor from India with a long time horizon, it’s the best time to invest in Apple and slowly build up an Apple-heavy portfolio. In this blog, we’ll discuss why. So stay tuned.

Why Apple always Stays in Demand

Apple has taken itself to an enviable position. Despite electronics sales softening around the world, Apple’s products are still seeing a rise in demand. Developing markets like India emerge as growth engines for the new age Apple. With the launch of the iPhone 14 series, the consumer craze around it proves who’s the boss in the smartphone segment.

Following are a few factors that keep Apple’s balance sheet strong:

  • Apple probably has the world’s best marketing team. Their marketing around a new product is a class apart that ignites the craze among Apple users
  • Apple has achieved great pricing power over its products and services. Any small rise in pricing doesn’t affect the sales
  • Innovation is at the core of Apple’s operations. Innovation keeps the demand alive for any new Apple product

Now the Right Time to Invest In Apple

The US market is passing through a challenging time. All the blue chip stocks have corrected around 30-40%. Apple, on the other hand, has corrected by 15% roughly. But that’s how Apple rolls. It’s a pretty strong script that doesn’t nose dive even during deep market corrections.

Here are 3 reasons that make sense to buy Apple stock from India right now:

Reason 1: Reasonable Valuation

Apple, after correction, is having decent valuation for long-term holding. Right now, it is trading at a PE multiple of 24.82. At the same time, NASDAQ’s average PE is 22.13. That’s right. You’re getting the world’s biggest company at a similar valuation to all other companies on NASDAQ.

Apple, since 2020, has an average PE of 27.51. It has always been in demand for value investors who have pounced on the stock whenever there’s a good correction. Now it’s your time to take advantage of the present discounted pricing and build a decent holding of Apple.

Reason 2: Services, the Next Growth Driver

Apple has always been a product-driven company since its inception. Lately, Apple has shifted its focus to its service offerings. Traditionally Apple had a couple of revenue generating services like the App Store & iCloud. Recently, Apple has extended its service offerings by introducing Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and other offerings

Apple’s quarterly services revenue has increased by 12% YoY as of the June quarter. Apple services now generate $19.4 billion in a 3-month period. This is a space where Apple has a lot of room to grow. Thus, services and wearables are considered to be the next growth driver for Apple.

Reason 3: Widening Moat in Core Business

Apple is generating a lot of money lately. Its free cash flow has exceeded $100 billion. However, Apple isn’t doing much experimentation with acquiring big-bucks companies outside of its current businesses. Instead, it has focused more on widening its moat in the product business.

In November 2020, Apple introduced an indigenous chipset to its MacBooks which until then was powered by Intel processors. Apple has also made solid improvements in the iPhone lineup. The recent changes signify all the free cash flow is going into the products bettering Apple’s moat.

How to Buy Apple Share from India

As we’ve already explained how good of an investment Apple can be, you must be wondering how to invest in US stocks from India. Well, you have three distinct options to be a part of Apple’s growth from India.

Option 1: Direct Purchase

You can directly purchase Apple stocks and fractional shares with the help of a US market trading account. Opening a US trading account from India is literally hassle-free. There are multiple domestic and international brokers like Stockal that offer US stock trading services in India.

Option 2: Through Mutual Funds

If you have limited time resources to allocate on stock market research, then investing in the market through Mutual Fund makes sense. You’ll find multiple Indian fund houses offering US-focused funds that invest in Apple.

Option 3: Through ETFs & Stacks

ETFs are like low-cost mutual funds that invest in stocks as well as indexes. It is a sort of pooled investment security that is similar to mutual funds. However, unlike mutual funds, ETFs are traded in the stock market.

Stacks, on the other hand, are curated portfolios of stocks made by experts. The concept of stacks is not very popular in India. However, in the west, stacks built by fund managers are widely used.

Now, as you know the paths of investing in US stocks from India, you first need to find a platform where all these options are available. Stockal, in this regard, can be the perfect platform. It offers direct stock buying along with its wide range of MF, ETF, and Stacks offerings.

Conclusion

After delivering a 31.32% annual return for the last five years, Apple still has a lot of tricks up its sleeves. Along with a strong moat in the smart gadgets segment, Apple has now focused on its services segment to be a significant growth contributor.

So, if you want to harness Apple’s future growth, you should invest in Apple now at a discounted price. Stockal offers you the convenience of buying Apple shares in India. Sign up today and start your US market investment journey soon.

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