“On August 11, Apple will pay shareholders of record a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, but investors must have had settled ownership of the company’s stock on Tuesday August 8 in order to qualify,” Daniel Eran Dilger reports for AppleInsider. “Apple will pay out $3.2 billion in dividends on its outstanding shares for the quarter.”
“Apple has been paying its shareholders a dividend about a month and a half after the end of each fiscal quarter ever since it declared its modern dividend plan in the summer of 2012,” Dilger reports. “Over the past four quarters, Apple has paid out around $12 billion in dividends to its shareholders, distributing close to $3 billion every quarter, although that number has decreased slightly in tandem with the company’s stock buybacks.”
“Dividends are a minority portion of Apple’s shareholder capital return program, the majority of which has been earmarked for buying back outstanding shares,” Dilger reports. “Over the last four quarters, Apple has repurchased $37 billion worth of its stock off the market or via accelerated repurchase programs, with $10 billion of that spent in the most recent quarter ending in June.”
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MacDailyNews Take: Apple dividend days bring much joy!
As it turns out, money actually can buy happiness. 🙂
Buying back shares, quite possible THE biggest waste of corporate profits imaginable.
Only the second biggest. The biggest is letting IT departments buy Windows PCs
Well, OK you got me there!
If Apple knows its product pipeline and believes its share price will ultimately increase in the long-run, and if Apple intends to continue to pay out (increasing) dividends, then it is easy to see that Apple’s purchase of its own shares on the open market are a smart investment. Apple is essentially able to use its strong financial position to purchase its shares for the equivalent of bargain basement prices. As Apple has more cash than it needs for operations and long-term investments, and since the return on cash is essentially zero these days, it looks like a smart investment to me.
.75 – .95 a share dividend and no buybacks is smarter.
Since 2012, Apple has increased its annual dividend payout by between 7 and 15% each year. At this rate, it should easily reach your goal of at least $0.75 per quarter (or $3 year) in 3 or 4 years. The Apple dividend is now $2.08 per year
Thank you very much. Those people without dividends or Apple stock are usually the first to pipe up what a waste they are.
I understand your plight and sorry you still have that same hairnet-required burger (well mostly dish-washing) job and living in your Mom’s garage in relative filth. Someday though Flunkie you might be able to afford Apple stock – probably when pigs can fly. Even an idjit galoot varmint like you can dream though right? Meanwhile I’ll just cash in my dividend gains tomorrow and think of what I might spend it on this time while you continue to live unabated still under the poverty line with zero prospects.
I love and care much for the quarterly AAPL dividend! Besides i usually reinvest it in another AAPL product or accessory!
The only reason to do a buy back is to reduce the number of outstanding shares, not to return value to a shareholder. By reducing the number of shares owned by other entities, the company reduces the amount of money paid out in a dividend. Also, in buying back those shares it would allow a company to get the number of shares down in order for a company to be taken private. Sneaky, if done slowly the share price does not rise to quickly.
If a company wants to offer value to the shareholders, all the company would have to do is increase the dividend. Two things would happen, the desire to own the stock would increase, and the share price would increase. Stockholders would receive more money from the larger dividend.