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Apple Inc. (AAPL): Among the Best Fortune 500 Stocks to Buy Now

We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Fortune 500 Stocks To Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stands against the other Fortune 500 stocks.

Should Investors Be Overly Cautious?

The aggregate revenue of the Fortune 500 companies in 2023 reached a record $41 trillion, up 0.1% year-over-year. Profits also rose 2% after declining earlier in 2022. The US took the lead from Greater China with the most companies on the Fortune 500 list for the first time since 2018. It has 139 companies as of August this year, an increase of 3 from 2023, while Greater China has 133 companies, down 9 from last year.

The financial sector, including banks and insurance companies, led all industries with the most Fortune 500 companies. Collectively tech giants brought in $282 billion in net income, up from $233 billion the previous year. Currently, 13 companies are making their Fortune 500 debut, reflecting the world’s fascination with AI and weight-loss drugs.

While the S&P 500 has recovered most of its losses, the rebound is being led by sectors like real estate, utilities, and consumer staples rather than major tech companies. Investors are shifting focus due to concerns over economic growth and expectations of Fed rate cuts.

Still, it seems like investors think that while investment portfolios should be diversified given the current economic conditions, this sentiment does not imply divesting from tech stocks, which of course contribute greatly to the aggregate Fortune 500 revenue. Jason Draho, UBS Global Wealth Management head of Americas Asset Allocation, emphasized this sentiment and we covered this earlier in our article about the 10 Best Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now Under $10:

“…investors should view potential dips in tech stocks as good long-term buying opportunities, as 10% corrections are historically good entry points in tech… He thinks that this market volatility is acyclical. The recent sell-off in the tech sector was not primarily due to economic concerns but rather to sector-specific issues. Despite this, tech giants will continue to benefit from the AI CapEx investment story. While there may be short-term challenges, the long-term outlook for these companies remains positive… Draho also cautioned against over-concentrating portfolios in the sector. He suggested diversifying exposure by investing in sector leaders as well as companies likely to benefit from tech disruption as a way to manage potential downside risks in tech stocks.”

Just last week, Dan Greenhaus, Solus Alternative Asset Management’s chief strategist discussed markets, and the rebound’s staying power, all while suggesting that predicting the Fed’s next move had become more difficult.

He discussed the ongoing recession concerns, particularly after negative comments from financial representatives. Despite these worries, he believes the US consumer is performing well, the economy is stable, and corporate profits are exceeding expectations. This context suggests that the recent sell-off in certain AI stocks was followed by a justified rebound, as issues appear limited to recent trends.

The S&P 500 is currently facing resistance around the 5,600 level, a key point of concern for investors. Dan Greenhaus noted that the recent inversion of the yield curve raised anxiety but the 2-10-year curve is slightly positive. Despite these worries, credit spreads for investment-grade bonds remain stable, and overall cross-asset indicators suggest a stable market environment.

Recently, discussions around potential interest rate changes have gained momentum, particularly following insights from Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon. He indicated a likely 25 basis point cut by the Federal Reserve, although he also acknowledged the possibility of a 50 basis point reduction. Greenhaus believes the Fed will opt for a 25 basis point cut, marking the start of a series of reductions. This perspective is supported by the normalization of inflation and a slowing economy.

According to Greenhaus, the cyclical components of the stock market appear to be performing well, indicating that the overall economic fundamentals remain robust, and there is no concrete case for any specific rate cut scenario. As Fortune 500 companies continue to generate record revenues and profits as well, investor sentiments should not be shifting drastically. With that being said, we’re here with a list of 10 best Fortune 500 stocks to buy now.

Methodology

We first looked at the list of Fortune 500 companies, as of 2024. We then selected 10 stocks from these Fortune 500 companies that were the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q2 2024.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

A wide view of an Apple store, showing the range of products the company offers.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Market Capitalization as of September 14: $3383.75 billion

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 184

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the world’s largest technology companies by revenue, known for its consumer electronics, software, and services.

The revenue in FQ3 2024 was up 4.87% year-over-year and reached $85.78 billion. The services division set a record at $24.2 billion, growing 14% year-over-year. iPhone revenue reached $39.3 billion, despite a slight decline. Moreover, Mac revenue grew 2% to $7 billion, and iPad revenue surged 24% year-over-year.

The company also launched Apple Intelligence, a personal intelligence system backed by AI. Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone event in September unfolded as anticipated, with attention shifting to pre-order data and sales figures for the new iPhone. A survey by US AlphaWise indicated that about 60% of customers planning to upgrade are doing so because of Apple Intelligence. Even more advanced AI features will further roll out in 2025.

On August 29, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is considering a significant investment in OpenAI, alongside NVIDIA, as part of a funding round led by Thrive Capital that would value OpenAI at $100 billion.

Currently, 184 hedge funds are long AAPL. Berkshire Hathaway has the highest stake in the company, with a position of $84,248,000,000.

Baron Technology Fund stated the following regarding Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:

“The Fund’s chief relative detractor was Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), even though it was a meaningful contributor to absolute performance, as we added to our Apple position significantly during the period. We bought Apple well, but in 20/20 hindsight we didn’t buy enough. Because Apple has an oversized weight in the Benchmark (its average weight was 15.7% for the period), when Apple’s stock outperforms (it appreciated 23.0%), it has generally been a headwind to relative performance. Our Apple underweight accounted for 33% of our relative underperformance for the period.

This quarter we increased the size of our position in Apple Inc., a leading technology company known for its innovative consumer electronics products like the iPhone, MacBook, iPad, and Apple Watch. Apple is a leader across its categories and geographies, with a growing installed base that now exceeds 2 billion devices globally. The company’s attached services – including the App Store, iCloud, Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Pay – provide a higher margin, recurring revenue stream that both enhances the value proposition for its hardware products and improves the financial profile. Apple now has well over 1 billion subscribers paying for these services, more than double the number it had just 4 years ago. The increasing services mix has led to healthy operating margin improvement, providing more free cash flow for Apple to reinvest in the business and to distribute to shareholders. Throughout its 48-year history, Apple has successfully navigated and capitalized on major technological shifts, from PCs to mobile to cloud computing. We believe the company’s leading brand and device ecosystem position it to do equally well in the AI age, and this was the driver of our decision to re-invest. “Apple Intelligence” – the AI strategy unveiled at Apple’s recent Worldwide Developer Conference – leverages on-device AI and integrations with tools like ChatGPT to enhance user experiences across its ecosystem. The AI suite enables users to create new images, summarize and generate text, and use Siri to perform actions across their mobile applications, all while maintaining user privacy and security. We think Apple Intelligence can drive accelerated product upgrade cycles and higher demand for Apple services. The combination of growth re-acceleration, increasing services contribution, and thoughtful capital allocation should continue driving long-term shareholder value.”

Overall AAPL ranks 4th on our list of the best Fortune 500 stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of AAPL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AAPL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: $30 Trillion Opportunity: 15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy According to Morgan Stanley and Jim Cramer Says NVIDIA ‘Has Become A Wasteland’.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

And here’s the wild part — this $250 trillion wave isn’t tied to one company, but to an entire ecosystem of AI innovators set to reshape the global economy.

It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

The answer lies in a breakthrough so powerful it’s redefining how humanity works, learns, and creates.

And this breakthrough has already set off a frenzy among hedge funds and Wall Street’s top investors.

What most investors don’t realize is that one under-owned company holds the key to this $250 trillion revolution.

In fact, Verge argues this company’s supercheap AI technology should concern rivals.

Before I reveal the details, let’s talk about how some of the richest people on the planet are positioning themselves.

  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

Even as we admire what Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft have built, we believe an even greater opportunity lies elsewhere…

But the real story isn’t Nvidia — it’s a much smaller company quietly improving the critical technology that makes this entire revolution possible.

And judging by what I’m hearing from both Silicon Valley insiders and Wall Street veterans…

This prediction might not be bold at all:

A few years from now, you’ll wish you’d owned this stock.

The best part? You can discover everything about this company and its groundbreaking technology right now.

I’ve compiled everything you need to know about this groundbreaking company in a detailed, members-only report.

Trust me — you’ll want to read this report before putting another dollar into any tech stock.

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If you’re thinking about getting in, don’t wait – because once Wall Street catches wind of this story, the easy money will be gone.

Space is Limited! Only 1000 spots are available for this exclusive offer. Don’t let this chance slip away – subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter today and unlock the potential for a life-changing investment.

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1. Head over to our website and subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter for just $9.99 a month.

2. Enjoy a year of ad-free browsing, exclusive access to our in-depth report on the revolutionary AI company, and the upcoming issues of our Premium Readership Newsletter over the next 12 months.

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AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal!

AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous.

Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink.

Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking:

Where will all of that energy come from?

AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse.

Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning:

“The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

“AI will run out of electricity by next year.”

As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity.

And that’s where the real opportunity lies…

One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike.

As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity.

The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom

  • It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets, positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy.
  • It’s one of the only global companies capable of executing large-scale, complex EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects across oil, gas, renewable fuels, and industrial infrastructure.
  • It plays a pivotal role in U.S. LNG exportation—a sector about to explode under President Trump’s renewed “America First” energy doctrine.

Trump has made it clear: Europe and U.S. allies must buy American LNG.

And our company sits in the toll booth—collecting fees on every drop exported.

But that’s not all…

As Trump’s proposed tariffs push American manufacturers to bring their operations back home, this company will be first in line to rebuild, retrofit, and reengineer those facilities.

AI. Energy. Tariffs. Onshoring. This One Company Ties It All Together.

While the world is distracted by flashy AI tickers, a few smart investors are quietly scooping up shares of the one company powering it all from behind the scenes.

AI needs energy. Energy needs infrastructure.

And infrastructure needs a builder with experience, scale, and execution.

This company has its finger in every pie—and Wall Street is just starting to notice.

Wall Street is noticing this company also because it is quietly riding all of these tailwinds—without the sky-high valuation.

While most energy and utility firms are buried under mountains of debt and coughing up hefty interest payments just to appease bondholders…

This company is completely debt-free.

In fact, it’s sitting on a war chest of cash—equal to nearly one-third of its entire market cap.

It also owns a huge equity stake in another red-hot AI play, giving investors indirect exposure to multiple AI growth engines without paying a premium.

And here’s what the smart money has started whispering…

The Hedge Fund Secret That’s Starting to Leak Out

This stock is so off-the-radar, so absurdly undervalued, that some of the most secretive hedge fund managers in the world have begun pitching it at closed-door investment summits.

They’re sharing it quietly, away from the cameras, to rooms full of ultra-wealthy clients.

Why? Because excluding cash and investments, this company is trading at less than 7 times earnings.

And that’s for a business tied to:

  • The AI infrastructure supercycle
  • The onshoring boom driven by Trump-era tariffs
  • A surge in U.S. LNG exports
  • And a unique footprint in nuclear energy—the future of clean, reliable power

You simply won’t find another AI and energy stock this cheap… with this much upside.

This isn’t a hype stock. It’s not riding on hope.

It’s delivering real cash flows, owns critical infrastructure, and holds stakes in other major growth stories.

This is your chance to get in before the rockets take off!

Disruption is the New Name of the Game: Let’s face it, complacency breeds stagnation.

AI is the ultimate disruptor, and it’s shaking the foundations of traditional industries.

The companies that embrace AI will thrive, while the dinosaurs clinging to outdated methods will be left in the dust.

As an investor, you want to be on the side of the winners, and AI is the winning ticket.

The Talent Pool is Overflowing: The world’s brightest minds are flocking to AI.

From computer scientists to mathematicians, the next generation of innovators is pouring its energy into this field.

This influx of talent guarantees a constant stream of groundbreaking ideas and rapid advancements.

By investing in AI, you’re essentially backing the future.

The future is powered by artificial intelligence, and the time to invest is NOW.

Don’t be a spectator in this technological revolution.

Dive into the AI gold rush and watch your portfolio soar alongside the brightest minds of our generation.

This isn’t just about making money – it’s about being part of the future.

So, buckle up and get ready for the ride of your investment life!

Act Now and Unlock a Potential 100+% Return within 12 to 24 months.

We’re now offering month-to-month subscriptions with no commitments.

For a ridiculously low price of just $9.99 per month, you can unlock our in-depth investment research and exclusive insights – that’s less than a single fast food meal!

Space is Limited! Only 1000 spots are available for this exclusive offer. Don’t let this chance slip away – subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter today and unlock the potential for a life-changing investment.

Here’s what to do next:

1. Head over to our website and subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter for just $9.99.

2. Enjoy a month of ad-free browsing, exclusive access to our in-depth report on the Trump tariff and nuclear energy company as well as the revolutionary AI-robotics company, and the upcoming issues of our Premium Readership Newsletter.

3. Sit back, relax, and know that you’re backed by our ironclad 30-day money-back guarantee.

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! Subscribe now and take control of your AI investment future!


No worries about auto-renewals! Our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee applies whether you’re joining us for the first time or renewing your subscription a month later!