Apple More Than Doubles Capital Return Program to $100 Billion

It would have been better if Apple just focused on making products and strengthening the business, seems strange that it became such a priority to get rid of the cash. What will happen a few years down the line, what if they can't generate same revenues anymore? The cash should have been left alone because the more money Apple has the safer the position they will be in the future.

That WAS the plan. Apple had survived the '90s with no shortage of luck and fortunate attraction of capital on what Jobs executed as combination royal gamble and sympathy play. Once bitten (ha ha), Apple seemed content to make sure it had sufficient funds on hand to weather the next dozen challenges from Microsoft-esque nemeses anywhere, be they Google, Samsung, or whichever opportunistic conglomerate arose next.

Then, Einhorn's shenanigans made it clear that, much like Heorot, the Mead Hall in the epic "Beowulf," Apple's cash hoard was too much of a target for the Grendel we know as Wall Street looters and pillagers. Rather than seeing its treasure bled away by such brigandry, Apple is using that cash to wrest control away from Wall Street and reduce the aggregate clout of external shareholders, increasing the company's freedom to do what it wants long-term. If Apple's cash hoard had been big enough to take the company private, be assured, Cook would have made it happen. Then, under no pressure whatever from Wall Street and beholden only to its own sales performance going forward, Apple would have been free to pursue all the blue sky research it wanted and reap the rewards of any consumer applications developed thereby.

And that still might happen. But it could take a while before it does.

Can someone please explain this to me in English? :/

They buy their own stock so less people have it, thus making it more of a rare commodity, increasing its value.

I think that's how it works, anyway. :confused:

That's a stupid move.

The only reason a corporation needs shareholders, or a high stock price, as a living entity, is to have cash for its development.

Returning cash means the shareholders are a burden on the operations of the company instead of being a help, and to be at the mercy of Wall Street if it needs later more cash.

Keeping 60 billions cash means Apple don't need to heed shareholders for 5 years at least.

I can't understand why Tim Cook would do this, the shareholders are not stupid enough to request a change of management. Except if he wants to inflate the management stock options, but even that is very short term, he can't announce 60 billions buy back everyday.

Of course Apple doesn't need it's shareholders NOW, but they needed or wanted the cash infusion when they went public. The shareholders are collectively the company. That's like getting a loan to open a business, the business is widely successful then not wanting to pay back the bank since you don't need the loan anymore, it doesn't work that way.

About shareholders not being stupid enough to vote out management although in my opinion it would be a horrible idea, I think you under estimate the possibility. Who knows it is possible that the company would be more successful under new management, again I highly doubt it, but seeing an equity drop this much causes people to get emotional and want the head of someone warranted or not.

... Apple is making a significant increase in its stock buyback initiative, taking advantage of the company's depressed stock price ...

The real culprit behind all this mindless anti-Apple bullishness?
Could be Apple itself, working to get a better deal on its own stock.

Think of it this way. AAPL is still higher than when Tim Cook took over.
Apple's hardware, software, and services are selling extremely well.
And all of this in the middle of a worldwide recession.

What better time for Apple to buy back its own stock for the ride up?
Not just over the next few quarters. For the next decade or more,
as the world economy gradually recovers. Just in time for the full
Apple television solution to start disrupting the TV industry...

I can see Apple going private in 5-10 years time and not needing to be beholden to Wall Street. Interesting move indeed.

Impossible. The amount of money involved is extremely high. Too high for Apple, even.

They buy their own stock so less people have it, thus making it more of a rare commodity, increasing its value.

I think that's how it works, anyway. :confused:

That is what they say - but how has it worked so far? I think it is a boondoggle waste of money.

They have roughly 1 billion shares in the market

Spending $50 billion will buy back 125 million shares @ $400 share.

They will now have 875 million shares on the market PLUS new incentive shares for employees. $50,000,000,000 just disappeared from the balance sheet, investors don't have squat to show for it.

If Apple had spent $50,000,000,000 on a special dividend = $51 per share.

This is a ripoff.

Too bad they have to borrow money to do this (most of their money is overseas for tax reasons. i.e. they can't use it.).

Meh, whatever. Apple is probably as good a credit risk at the US government, and maybe better. They'll pay 30 year Treasury bond rates when borrowing. It's basically nothing.

Steve Jobs would have told the shareholders to take a walk. I'm ready for a regime change, Cook is proving to be weak in regards to dealing with the corps.

Go tell your boss to take a walk and see how that works out for ya.

Good move, buying back stock takes influence away from outsiders. More time for focus on good products and services.

Frankly I think it's totally stupid. If Steve Jobs was still alive he wouldn't be paying out a dime in dividends or buying back any of Apple's shares. He would never set Apple on a path of basically trying to keep shareholders happy. He would focus on innovation, innovation and still more innovation. If shareholders weren't happy, he would tell them to sell their shares. If the stock price was up or down, he wouldn't care. What he cared about was is Apple being the most innovative it can be and are consumers happy with our products.

And you know what? That's what having 100B+ dollars in the bank truly buys you - freedom from having to care about what the analyst think or worrying over who buying or selling your shares.

But apparently Cook hasn't come to the realization yet. He is too busy trying to keep Wall Street happy rather than trying to get a new Mac Pro out.