Though currently involved in a high-profile legal dispute with Samsung, Apple CEO Tim Cook must be all smiles today. Apple’s stock is currently trading north of $660 per share, putting the company’s market cap (current number of outstanding shares multiplied by the share price) above $623 billion. The $623 billion valuation in mid-day trading makes Apple the most valuable public company ever, ahead of Microsoft’s $618.9 billion valuation in December 1999.
Of course, those were 1999 dollars, and Microsoft’s valuation would be equivalent to $851 billion in 2012 dollars, though we expect Apple will cross that barrier before too long as well. Apple stock would need to hit approximately $910 per share to achieve an $850 billion valuation. Analysis are bullish on Apple ahead of the launch of the next iPhone, the oft-rumored iPad Mini, and the news that Apple TV is working with cable carriers to bring live content to the set-top box.
[via CNN, TechCrunch]