If You Bought 1 Share of Apple When It First IPOed, Here’s How Many Shares You’d Own Today

Few stocks can boast a pedigree as impressive as Apple‘s (NASDAQ: AAPL). The consumer technology giant is not only the first publicly traded company to reach a trillion dollars in market capitalization, but it is also often the most profitable company in the world. It has earned its status as an investor favorite.

Apple’s stock has split several times since its IPO in 1980, of course. had in order to accommodate the organization’s incredible growth.

And that raises a curious question: If you had bought one share of Apple when it first went public, how many would you own today?

Apple Stock Split History (and IPO Price Recalculation)

Apple’s stock has split five times since its IPO in December 1980. The first time was in 1987, at a 2-for-1 rate, followed by another in mid-2000. The next time was in early 2005… again at a 2-for-1 rate.

Then the party Really Following the explosive revenue growth generated by the launch of the iPhone in 2007, Apple’s shares experienced a 7-for-1 stock split in mid-2014 and suffered another 4-for-1 stock split in mid-2020.

Doing the math, one Apple share in 1980 was equivalent to 224 shares today. With all these splits, the IPO price of $22 per share is actually reduced to $0.10.

Apple is an exception to the norm, but…

Apple’s case is obviously extremely unusual. Most stocks don’t need to be split as much as this one.

However, not all stocks need to perform equally well right from the start to make you very, very rich. One or two of them mega winners will do the trick. The challenge is simply to determine which companies have real long-term growth potential and which ones don’t. For every winner like Apple, there seem to be a handful of disappointing names like Blue Apron or GrouponTake your pictures, but also be insightful and realistic.

Should You Invest $1,000 in Apple Right Now?

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James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

If You Bought 1 Share of Apple When It First IPOed, Here’s How Many Shares You’d Own Today was originally published by The Motley Fool