Is Apple Stock a Buy Now?
Key Points
Apple's new MacBook Neo opens up the entry-level PC market for the first time.
That could be a game changer for the Mac brand, which is only about 10% of Apple's hardware sales.
Apple stock isn't cheap, but its fundamentals justify its current valuation.
- 10 stocks we like better than Apple ›
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) should almost always be a consideration when looking for a company to invest in. But when exactly is the right time to buy Apple stock?
The beloved tech giant recently held a March event to unveil a range of new products. New product announcements are a frequent occurrence for Apple. However, it showcased an exciting new growth catalyst that may justify adding shares now. Here is what you need to know.
Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »
Image source: Getty Images.
Apple is going after new customer segments, an exciting development
The March event included several product announcements, and among them was the new MacBook Neo. While Apple offers a wide range of iPhones to appeal to consumers of various budgets, the Mac and MacBook brands have long targeted higher spenders. The new MacBook Neo starts at $599, approximately $500 cheaper than the cheapest MacBook Air.
It effectively expands Apple's addressable market in the computer space, and the entry-level segment is a massive piece of the pie. According to data from Computer Intelligence, roughly 27% of retail PCs sold in the United States cost $1,000 or less, so sitting hundreds of dollars below that threshold should give Apple a great opportunity to capture a lot of new customers who may have wanted a MacBook but never could or wanted to spend the money for it.
Apple's total hardware sales exceeded $305 billion in 2025. Mac products were only about one-tenth of that. If Apple successfully breaches the low-end computer market, it could represent a sizable boost to its Mac sales.
A world-class business at a fair valuation
To be fair to prospective stock buyers, Apple is more expensive today after surging nearly 70% over the past few years.
But that doesn't mean investors shouldn't buy the stock. Apple currently trades at approximately 30 times this year's earnings estimates, while analysts expect earnings to grow by 13% annually over the next three to five years.
Apple opted against pouring tens of billions of dollars into data centers and instead partnered with Alphabet for its artificial intelligence models. That enabled Apple to stay focused on hardware innovation, its specialty, while remaining a highly profitable cash-flow machine.
Given Apple's growth outlook and strong financials, that higher valuation seems justified.
It's never a bad idea to buy the best stocks at fair prices, and even if the stock spins its wheels in the short term, Apple seems poised to continue growing as its efforts to bring more users into its iOS ecosystem bear fruit.
Should you buy stock in Apple right now?
Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $534,008!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,090,073!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 949% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 190% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of March 9, 2026.
Justin Pope has positions in Alphabet. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet and Apple and is short shares of Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Recommended Articles
