apple

Apple has become favorite company for both investors and consumers alike. The maker of iPhones, Mac computers, and some of the most sought-after technology year-over-year has been delighting consumers with products for decades.

Over the 11-year existence of the iPhone, consumers have gone from not knowing what a smartphone is to being addicted to them. The company that invented that technology has also seen rapid gains in the AAPL stock price.

Here's a summary of AAPL stock and its history.

AAPL Stock Price Over Time

Apple Inc. trades under the stock ticker AAPL. The company incorporated in 1977 and went public on December 12, 1980. AAPL stock debuted at $22 per share. How much are you wishing you bought in 1980?

Apple Inc. had some early success with their computers, but not everything was going well in the beginning. Apple ousted its CEO and founder Steve Jobs in 1985 as it also flirted with bankruptcy. The company survived and Steve Jobs returned in 1997 as interim CEO and soon-after CEO. He remained in that position until 2011, when he resigned.

During Steve Jobs's second stint as CEO, AAPL stock surged upward as the popularity of Apple's products, especially the iPhone, skyrocketed in 2007.

AAPL Stock Price Outpaces Market

Why is AAPL stock one of the most popular stocks among retail investors? It generally performs well with consistent growth and has routinely outpaced the market.

Over the past 5 years, AAPL stock has been able to not only keep up with the market, but to also outpace its growth.

One of the main reasons investors love AAPL stock are those consistent returns.

AAPL Stock and Capital Returns

Another reason investors love AAPL stock is its earnings.

From October 2017 to October 2018, Apple brought in $58.55 billion or $11.52 per share. You can imagine that those holding AAPL stock were very pleased.

Investors love it when their investments grow and the price of stock they hold goes up. But, under current CEO Tim Cook, there's another benefit for investors in AAPL stock: capital returns.

Instead of letting the money pile up in the Apple coffers, Apple shares those gains with investors through a capital returns program.

Apple pays investors a dividend each quarter. The dividend comes out to be $0.73 per share each quarter or $2.92 annually.

If you add all that up, you'll see that Apple is the largest dividend payer in the world, paying out $13 billion to investors each year.

AAPL Stock Price Today

Investors love Apple because of the consistent stock price gains, the company's creation of great products that make consumers happy, and their capital return program.

But, what about the AAPL stock price today? We can only base our prediction on the history. If Apple continues to innovate and purchase additional new companies, we can only expect growth.

If you're interested in learning more about what our experts have to say about apple stock, you can read about their predictions for 2019.