The Unexpected (and Silly) Reason Apple Soared Above $500

Let's get one thing clear: Sometimes the market acts ridiculously.

Apple has been a dud for investors over the past year. It seemed that nothing could move shares higher -- not share repurchases, record quarters, or strong free cash flow growth -- that is, until a few choice tweets sent shares rocketing.

Famed investor Carl Icahn lit the match with two tweets regarding his "large" position in the company. The herd mentality seemed to have been in full force, as shares quickly rose above $500 a share, prices not seen since the beginning of the year.

While Icahn may get all the credit, the changes he's calling for are already in motion. Furthermore, while he may have influence over the investing mob's perception of Apple, his position is relatively small when stacked against the company's $450 billion market cap.

Sometimes it's important to take a step back and see the forest from the trees, as the Fool's Austin Smith reminds us in the following video.

If you'd rather take the long view and not get riled up by a few tweets here and there, dividend stocks are for you.

Dividend stocks can make you rich. It's as simple as that. While they don't garner the notability of high-flying growth stocks, they're also less likely to crash and burn. And over the long term, the compounding effect of the quarterly payouts, as well as their growth, adds up faster than most investors imagine. With this in mind, our analysts sat down to identify the absolute best of the best when it comes to rock-solid dividend stocks, drawing up a list in this free report of nine that fit the bill. To discover the identities of these companies before the rest of the market catches on, you can download this valuable free report by simply clicking here now.

The article The Unexpected (and Silly) Reason Apple Soared Above $500 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Austin Smith owns shares of Apple. Chris Hill has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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