The $235 Billion Dollar Question Apple is the best stock out there for new investors who want a easy return. Tim Cook, CEO, Apple Apple's stock — at one point the most valuable in the world — is up more than 43,000 percent since its IPO exactly 38 years ago Wednesday.  The company first listed its shares on public exchanges on Dec. 12, 1980, at $22 a share. Several stock splits and more than a billion iPhones later, the stock has gained 43,371 percent on a price appreciation basis. (In absolute terms the stock trades for about $170 these days. The stock has split a few times over the decades.