Apple Just Paid Investors: Here’s How Much They Received

By Trey Thoelcke Published Nov 14, 9:45AM EST

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Apple Just Paid Investors: Here’s How Much They Received — © Eric Thayer / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) just rewarded its shareholders again with a quarterly dividend.
Annual dividend growth has been the norm at the iPhone maker for over a decade.
Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is rewarding its shareholders once again with another quarterly dividend of $0.25, payable on Thursday, Nov. 14. The declaration came with just-reported earnings that were impacted by a one-time EU tax payment. Furthermore, the rollout of Apple Intelligence is incomplete, and iPhone sales in China were disappointing. Guidance was cautious, but the dividend payment underscores the management’s commitment to delivering consistent value to investors.

Why Investors Like Dividends

Dividend stocks offer two benefits.

Investors favor dividend stocks for two main reasons. The first is that they offer enticing total return potential. Total return is a comprehensive measure of investment performance that includes interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time. In other words, the total return on an investment or a portfolio consists of income and stock appreciation. It is one of the most effective ways to boost the prospects of overall investing success.

Dividend stocks can also provide investors with a steady, reliable stream of passive income. Passive income is money that is earned with little to no ongoing effort, usually from assets that generate cash flow. This income can come from a variety of sources, including stock dividends. Generating passive income is a desirable financial strategy for those seeking to diversify their income streams or achieve financial independence.

Its Dividend History

Quarterly dividend growth for 11 years.

Apple has paid a quarterly dividend since late 2013, and the current yield is 0.4%. Since late 2020, when the dividend was $0.205 per share, the payout has increased every year. Between 2014 and 2020, the company also hiked the dividend yearly, with the payout growing from $0.47 to $0.82. Note that the payout was $0.10 a share back in 1988.

Note that the share price has grown by around 1,020% since 2013 as well, offering investors plenty of growth along with income.

Apple, the Company

The company designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. The company offers iPhone smartphones, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, and wearables, home, and accessories, including AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats, and HomePod.

Apple also provides AppleCare support and cloud services; and operates various platforms, including the App Store that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games, and podcasts. In addition, the company offers various services, such as Apple Arcade, a game subscription service; Apple Fitness+, a personalized fitness service; Apple Music, which offers users a curated listening experience with on-demand radio stations; Apple News+, a subscription news and magazine service; Apple TV+, which offers exclusive original content; Apple Card, a co-branded credit card; and Apple Pay, a cashless payment service, as well as licenses its intellectual property.

Apple serves consumers; small and mid-sized businesses; and the education, enterprise, and government markets. It distributes third-party applications for its products through the App Store. The company also sells its products through its retail and online stores, its direct sales force, as well as third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and resellers.

Its headquarters are in Cupertino, California, which is in Silicon Valley. The company was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The stock went public in December of 1980. Apple is similar to or competes with the likes of Samsung, Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL), HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ), International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT).

Like many other tech companies, Apple has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence, including for advancements in Siri and image processing. The company launched the iPhone 16 in September, and more recently an updated iOS with AI features. Other recent product releases include new Apple Watches, iPads, and its Vision Pro mixed reality headset.

Apple, the Stock

Wall Street is cautious for now, but is that about to change?

The share price has grown almost 239% in the past five years, handily outperforming the Nasdaq. Year to date, the stock is up about 17%, while the Nasdaq is around 28% higher. Shares hit an all-time high of $237.49 last month. The current mean price target is nearly 10% higher than the current share price, but that could change with further post-earnings target changes by analysts. Needham and Rosenblatt both have reiterated Buy ratings. The consensus recommendation is to buy shares, with 11 analysts having Strong Buy ratings.

The stock remains popular with hedge funds. Institutional investors hold about 69% of the shares. Berkshire Hathaway, Blackrock, State Street, and Vanguard have notable stakes. About 141 million shares, or almost 1% of the float, are held short. Note that some officers parted with shares in early October, including CEO Tim Cook’s sale of more than $50 million worth.

Apple Stock Price Prediction and Forecast 2025-2030

About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.