Carl Icahn Presses for Apple Shareholder Vote on Increased Stock Buyback

IcahnActivist investor Carl Icahn has filed paperwork to ask Apple shareholders to recommend a $50 billion share repurchase to Apple's board of directors.

The request is what's called a precatory proposal, meaning even if a majority of shares vote in favor, it would not be binding on Apple's management. In an interview with Time, Icahn said he believes CEO Tim Cook and Apple's management team are doing a good job, but he believes the company should be spending more of its capital on its own shares.

For his part, Icahn says he doesn’t consider his proposal an indictment of Apple CEO Tim Cook, or the company’s management, per se. "Tim Cook is doing a good job with the business,” Icahn tells TIME. "I think he’s good whether he does what I want or not." But, says Icahn, referring to the company’s huge cash stockpile, "Apple is not a bank."

[...]

I’m not against the management of this company. But they’ve got too much money on their balance sheet."

Icahn is able to withdraw his proposal before the shareholder's meeting if he no longer wishes to press the issue, either because Apple agrees with him or he believes a potential proxy fight is no longer in his favor. If not, Apple would likely recommend investors vote against the proposal, even though it isn't binding.

Since he first disclosed his position in Apple back in August, Icahn has been vocal about asking the company to increase its buyback at the same time he has dramatically increased his stake in the company.

Apple, for its part, announced a significant increase in its capital return program back in April of 2013, and management pledged to reexamine its share repurchase and dividend programs in the first half of 2014.

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Top Rated Comments

b13o0r12e3 Avatar
149 months ago
Mr. Icahn, if you're reading this

here's two words for you.

****. OFF.

Yours sincerely,
Disgruntled Apple Shareholder
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Swift Avatar
149 months ago
Look at that face

Who doesn't despise this load of crap?
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleofmy"i" Avatar
149 months ago
Shut up, Carl.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apfeljonas Avatar
149 months ago
Ahh, just when I thought he'd gone away...
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fredfnord Avatar
149 months ago
Ye gods and little fishes...

…I am beginning to DESPISE this man.

He seems to have more or less singlehandedly destroyed a company that I had a fair bit of stock in, a while ago: he pumped up the share price, got out, and the company is now scraping along the bottom and is liable to get bought out for a song. Not really any different from Romney: if he can make a bunch of money by destroying a company and stepping on the faces of the employees and the small investors, he'll do it. (I sometimes think these people prefer it that way, because that way they can also contemplate how much more awesome they are than the people whose livelihoods they destroyed.)
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vito Avatar
149 months ago
who would have thought it an investor who only cares about making even more money
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)