Apple's Higher Multiple Is Justified, Says Citi

Shares of Apple Inc. AAPL have gained around 20 percent since the start of 2017 and around 35 percent over the past year. The company's stock has been boosted by encouraging earnings reports, the support of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and Wall Street's incremental support of the stock.

On Monday, Citi's Jim Suva was the latest Wall Street analyst to become incrementally bullish on Apple's stock. In a research report, he argued that although Apple's stock is trading near its all-time highs it isn't necessarily too late to buy the stock.

See Also: What Do Tesla, Netflix And Disney Have In Common? There's Talk Apple Could Buy Any One Of Them

Suva argued that Apple's next leg of growth will come from the upcoming iPhone 8 super-cycle and longer-term prospects in new markets such as India. These two headwinds alone will drive Apple's sales and earnings per share and support an expansion in the valuation multiple of Apple's stock.

Suva continued that Apple's stock is currently trading at a 14.5x multiple or 12.5x multiple when removing its massive cash hoard. By comparison, the market as a whole is trading at an 18x multiple, which implies Apple's stock could see a sustainable multiple expansion over time.

Shares of Apple were maintained with a Buy rating with a price target boosted to $160 from a previous $140.