Apple shares are hitting another record high. And it seems like there's nothing that can stop it — not even price targets.
Shares of the smartphone-maker keep blasting blast analysts' price targets almost as fast as the analysts can raise them. Apple's breathtaking rally this year — powered by strong uptake of the iPhone 6 smartphone — continues to mock analysts' price targets rooted in fundamentals and valuations as emotion and speculation takes over.
Shares of Apple Wednesday closed up $1.55, or 1.4%, Wednesday to $111.25. That already tops the $108.10 18-month price target that analysts had just two months ago. Analysts have been scrambling to keep ahead of the soaring shares of Apple — but the stock seems to have no bounds. Perhaps the analysts saying Apple is the first "risk free" stock are on to something after all?
Apple at $110 a share is just below analysts' current $116.69 18-month price target on the stock. And that average price target has been collectively raised 4.4% just over the past month.
Certainly, there are degrees of optimism, even among analysts. The highest 18-month price target on Apple is currently $143 a share. That might seem outlandishly high, especially since the stock is already trading at 17 times its earnings the past 12 months. But analysts have learned the hard way that you're either bullish on Apple, or you're wrong.
Earlier this week, UBS tech analyst Steven Milunovich took his price target up nearly 9% to $125 a share. He pointed to "strong buying intentions for the iPhone 6 … appreciation of the brand and ecosystem and interest in Apple Pay," as drivers for the ever-rising stock price in a note to clients.
Computerized tools continue to be more guarded about the trajectory of Apple's stock.Trefis, a tool that measures how much a company is worth by looking at the present value of expected cash flow, pegs the stock's value at $110. But even that's been raised more than 10% over the past few months.
How high can the stock go? Seems like it has a mind of its own — one that even the analysts can't read.
APPLE CONTINUES TO BLAST PAST RISING TARGETS
| Target as of | 18-month price target |
| Now | $116.59 |
| 1 month ago | $111.73 |
| 2 months ago | $108.10 |
| 3 months ago | $105.36 |
| 6 months ago | $88.85 |
| 9 months ago | $83.57 |
| 12 months ago | $82.97 |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ, USA TODAY
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