Every bear market in history has given way to a new bull market. This time should be no different.
Inflation, recession fears, and now bank failures -- there's certainly no shortage of calamities currently weighing on the stock market. But inflation will eventually be tamed, the economy will recover, and the financial industry will stabilize.
Strong businesses should help to lead the market higher. And the investors who buy their shares at today's discounted prices stand to profit handsomely. Apple (AAPL 0.64%) is one such company.
Here are three reasons the tech titan is a particularly attractive buy today.
1. Apple's services are probably worth more than you think
Investors love businesses with dependable, recurring revenue. Apple's services business might just be the best of the bunch. Apple earned a whopping $20.8 billion in services revenue in its fiscal 2023 first quarter ended Dec. 31.
Services accounted for roughly 18% of the tech giant's total sales. But with the segment's sky-high gross margin of 70.8%, compared with 37% for Apple's products, services account for a far larger percentage of the company's profits.
Apple's massive installed base of more than 2 billion active devices gives it an incredible opportunity to deepen its relationship with its customers -- and sell even more services. The company already has more than 935 million paid subscriptions. The continued growth of app purchases, cloud storage, digital payments, streaming TV, and advertising solutions should all help to fuel further increases in Apple's services revenue and profits.
For his part, Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng expects Apple to generate 40% of its gross profit from services by 2027, up from 33% in 2022. "Apple's success in premier hardware design and resulting brand loyalty has led to a growing installed base of users that provide visibility into revenue growth by reducing customer churn, lowering customer acquisition costs for new product and services launches, and encouraging repeat purchases," Ng said earlier this month.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, meanwhile, sees Apple's services revenue growing at a double-digit percentage in the coming year. Ives, in turn, thinks the company's services business alone could be worth a staggering $1.3 trillion.
2. China is rebounding
The Chinese government's strict COVID-related restrictions weighed heavily on Apple's results last year. Manufacturing facilities were forced to close, snarling Apple's otherwise highly efficient supply chain network. That dented the company's sales and drove up its costs.
China recently lifted many of its health restrictions and reopened its economy, and that should allow Apple to work through its supply chain bottlenecks and increase production of its popular iPhones and other devices.
Better still, China's economic recovery should also create higher demand for Apple's products in the populous country. The greater China region accounted for nearly 19% of the iPhone maker's sales in fiscal 2022 -- a figure that's likely to rise in the coming years.
3. India is emerging as a powerful growth driver
More than 1.4 billion people live in India. Yet, Apple currently sells a relatively small number of iPhones in the country. That could be about to change.
After enjoying record sales in India in the first quarter, Apple is restructuring its leadership team to place a greater emphasis on the region, according to Bloomberg. Apple operates an e-commerce site in India, and it plans to open retail stores there soon. "India is a hugely exciting market for us and is a major focus," CEO Tim Cook said during the company's earnings call in early February.
Apple is working to make its devices more affordable in India, including offering financing options and trade-in programs. These moves could allow the company to gain share in this increasingly important market.
Apple and its suppliers are also building more manufacturing sites in India. The tech juggernaut wants to diversify its production network and lessen its dependence on any one country's manufacturing capabilities. These moves could further help to lower costs and boost Apple's sales in India.
