Apple Shares Reach New Peak Above $114

[RaduTyrsina]

It seems that there's no stopping to Apple's growth, as its shares have reached a new all time closing high of $114.18 after the quarterly dividend distribution of $2.9 billion to shareholders. Translated into a pre-split adjusted price, this is slightly below $800, and is 53.5 percent higher than the company's stock price just one year ago.

Since the beginning of 2014, Apple shares are up 42.46 percent and one of the perks of the high stock price is that it allows the company to attract and retain top talent by using stock based compensation. AppleInsider has some more interesting details related to Apple's stock prices:

Stock prices can take irrational turns in the short term, such as when investors sent Apple's shares below $12 (split adjusted) in 2008 on fears that the company would lose its customers due to price sensitivity during the global economic downturn. After recovering the next year and reaching regular new highs through 2012, Apple shares again tanked in 2013 as pundits worried about the company's growth prospects.

Few are worried this year, as iPhone 6 models set new records while Macs reach their highest ever sales volumes, converting the company's PC growth from lower priced iPads into higher margin MacBooks and iMacs.

The company also launched Apple Pay to much fanfare, resulting in billions of dollars in free publicity as every major bank and many large retailers and restaurant chains in the U.S. have been constantly advertising iPhone 6 and Apple Pay features.

Past week, Apple paid shareholders its quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share across the 5.87 billion shares outstanding, which represent a total payout of $2.9 billion. This means that Apple will narrowly beat out Exxon Mobil to be S&P's largest dividend payer of the year.

During previous quarter, Apple has repurchased $17 billion of its own stock at average share prices ranging from $96.77 to $100.64. Thus, Apple is increasing the scarcity, and the value of Apple's stock by taking shares off the market and retiring them.

Apple also said that it plans to increase its dividend on an annual basis, in a recent filing.

Source: AppleInsider