Apple is the second-largest company in the world by market value. It also has one of the largest cash piles among U.S. publicly traded companies, and that makes it attractive portfolio fodder for investors.
Earnings and cash on hand enable companies to reward investors with dividends, and Apple is no exception. Here’s a history of Apple’s dividend payments and why it had stopped paying when founder Steve Jobs returned in his second turn as CEO in 1997.
Apple dividend quick facts*
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Yield: |
0.40% |
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Payout Ratio: |
13.90% |
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Frequency: |
Quarterly |
*Based on Apple’s March 12, 2026 stock price, fiscal year 2025 earnings, and 2025 total dividends.
How often does Apple pay dividends?
Apple pays dividends on a quarterly basis. The first quarterly dividend payment during the regular calendar year is typically made in the middle of February, followed by the middle of May for the second, the middle of August for the third, and the middle of November for the fourth.
Related: How many employees does Apple have? A deeper look at the tech giant’s workforce
When did Apple start paying dividends?
Apple made its first dividend payment on June 15, 1987, in the amount of 6 cents per share. It was declared on April 22, 1987, to shareholders of record as of May 15, 1987.
However, Apple stopped paying dividends after 1995 because the company posted its first annual loss in its fiscal year 1996, and it was trying to retain cash. Its net loss was $816 million, due to an 11% drop in sales to $9.8 billion from the year earlier.
Losses widened to $1 billion in 1997, the year Steve Jobs returned as CEO, but Apple quickly returned to profitability in 1998.
When did Apple resume dividend payments?
Apple resumed paying dividends in 2012 after growing its cash reserves.
After Jobs returned as CEO for a second time in 1997, he focused on building the company’s cash pile but didn’t pay dividends. After Jobs passed in late 2011, Apple resumed paying dividends. It paid a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share on August 16, 2012.
The dividend was large relative to its stock price, and in 2012, the stock price ranged from $354 to $705. Its cash and cash equivalents totaled $10.74 billion in 2012, up significantly from $1.48 billion in 1998 — Jobs’ first full year as CEO.
The resumption of dividend payments attracted billionaire investor Warren Buffet — known for investing in companies for their dividends — who bought Apple through Berkshire Hathaway in 2016.
As of early 2026, Apple was Berkshire’s biggest stockholding by value. Apple’s cash pile in fiscal 2025 was $35.93 billion, and it paid $1.04 in total dividends per share for the calendar year.
More on Apple:
- Where is Apple’s headquarters? A spaceship-like office with thousands of trees
- Who owns Apple? Institutional holdings & executives’ shares
- Steve Jobs’ net worth: How rich Apple’s founder could have been
Is Apple a dividend aristocrat?
Apple isn’t yet a dividend aristocrat, a moniker that is usually applied to a company that has paid dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. Since resuming dividend payments in 2012, it will have to wait until 2037 to be named a dividend aristocrat.
The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index has 69 component stocks, including McDonald’s and IBM.
Is Apple’s dividend safe?
As long as Apple maintains its cash pile and remains profitable, the company is likely to continue paying dividends. In its fiscal year 2025, its cash and cash equivalents amounted to $35.93 billion, and its net income was $112 billion.
So, for now, Apple’s dividends seem unlikely to disappear.
