Apple , whose stock was up $2.55, or 1.3%, to $202.65 near midday on Tuesday, is now valued at $956 billion. The shares would need to hit $212—a nearly 5% gain—for Apple to regain a $1 trillion market value, which it originally hit on Aug. 2, when it became the first company to reach that mark.
Apple stock then declined sharply, dropping the market value below $1 trillion, before the stock bottomed at $142 in early January. It gets harder each quarter for Apple to reach $1 trillion because of its aggressive stock buyback program that reduces its share count. Apple’s current share count is 4.715 billion, down from 4.843 billion in August. Apple stock needed to hit only $207 in August to reach the $1 trillion mark.
Apple shares have been steadily rising recently. They’re up Tuesday for the 10th straight session and at their highest level since November. Microsoft and Amazon.com —the No. 2 and 3 companies in market value—aren’t too far behind Apple. Microsoft, whose shares are down 51 cents at $119.42, is valued at $916 billion and Amazon.com, whose shares are up $1.39 at $1,851.25, has a market capitalization of $909 billion.