@bystander
Do not confuse stock price, or cash on hand with the size or value of a company. Apple is a company that makes a killer profit, and then sits on the cash, while Samsung is a company that sells tons more stuff, in many more markets, for less profit, and then infuses those earnings back into the business in the form of new equipment, facilities, or products.
While Apple makes UFO office suites, Samsung makes 10nm fab facilities. While Apple makes a few cute consumer products, Samsung makes components, consumer electronics, consumer appliances, and industrial equipment.
Apple could purchase a controlling interest in Samsung (assuming there are enough shares available for purchase), but the liability issues of running such a huge company, with such a different market strategy, and in markets that Apple knows absolutely nothing about, would be a dumb move. It is not just about the fiscal ability to do something, there are tons of practical business reasons that Apple simply cannot buy Samsung, and even if they did then it would damage both companies.