Value to momentum

Article Excerpt

APPLE INC. $208 (Nasdaq symbol AAPL; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 906.3 million; Market cap: $188.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.1; No dividends paid; WSSF Rating: Average) has gained 2,089.5% since we first recommended it at $9.50 (adjusted for splits) in our November 2000 issue. Back then, the iPod was still a year away and Apple was struggling to compete with cheaper computers that ran Microsoft Windows. But we liked it because its computers continued to dominate certain industries, such as graphic design and publishing. The stock was also cheap, at around 15 times earnings, and it had little debt. To top it off, it held cash of $6 a share. Apple now trades at 26.4 times the $7.89 a share it will likely earn in its current fiscal year (which ends September 30). That p/e ratio would be higher still, but Apple recently adopted new accounting rules that let it recognize more revenue from the iPhone at the…