Apple on Thursday marked the 44th anniversary of the tech giant's initial public offering just days after its market capitalization reached a new all-time high that emphasized its growth over the last four decades. Apple shares reached $250.42 during Wednesday's trading session, an all-time high that followed a record close of $247.70 at the end of Tuesday's trading day.
Taken together, those splits increased Apple's share count by a factor of 224, meaning that the initial 45 shares bought for $1,000 44 years ago would have grown into 10,080 shares. Based on Thursday's closing price of $247.96, that means the initial $1,000 investment would now be worth nearly $2.5 million – or $2,499,436.80, to be precise – without accounting for the reinvestment of dividends, which Apple started offering to shareholders in 2012.