It’s no secret that Apple Inc. (AAPL ) is a darling in the technology world, as the company has rightfully earned its reputation as both an innovator and a financial powerhouse. More recently, the stock has made its way onto the radar screen of countless income investors due to its dividend re-initiation.
Below, we take a look through the five biggest direct shareholders of Apple based on the most recent SEC filings, profiling each of them as well as highlighting the total worth of their stake in the Silicon Valley bellwether [see also 14 Executives Getting Rich Off Dividends]:
The chart above showcases the ownership stakes of the five biggest individual investors, assuming a share price of $108.
Craig Federighi Owns 318,592 Shares
Craig Federighi is currently the senior vice president of Software Engineering at Apple. He is one of the leaders that oversees iOS development and he played an instrumental part in the release of Apple’s mobile operating system. Prior to joining Apple, Craig worked at Ariba, a software and information technology services company, and he holds a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of California.
Robert Mansfield Owns 346,801 Shares
Bob Mansfield is a former senior vice president of Technologies at Apple. After earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas, Bob went on to become the vice president of Engineering at Raycer Graphics, which was acquired by Apple in 1999. He stayed with the company and took the role as senior vice president of Mac Hardware Engineering, where he played a pivotal role in the development of the iMac and MacBook products.
Al Gore Owns 437,661 Shares
Al Gore, the former Vice President of the United States, currently resides as a member on the Board of Directors at Apple. Mr. Gore popularized the term “Information Superhighway” in the 1990s and was instrumental in securing federal funding to build out infrastructure that would become the Internet as we know it today; he also serves as a senior advisor to Google.
Tim Cook Owns 950,767 Shares
Tim Cook currently serves as Apple’s CEO, a position that he has held since succeeding Steve Jobs in 2011. Cook holds an industrial engineering degree from Auburn University and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business; after graduating from Auburn, Cook worked as a director in IBM’s (IBM ) personal computer business for 12 years. Cook joined Apple in 1998 and his first role was senior vice president of Worldwide Operations; today, he also resides on the board of directors for Nike (NKE ) and the National Football Foundation [see also Who Are the Top CEOs in the World? A Closer Look at Dow 30 CEOs].
Arthur Levinson Owns 1,138,886 Shares
Arthur Levinson currently serves as the Chairman of the Board at Apple and is also the current CEO of Calico, an independent biotech company established by Google. Levinson received his PhD in biochemistry from Princeton University, and after he went to work at Genentech, a biotech firm where he served as CEO for over a decade and now resides on its board of directors.
The Bottom Line
Anyone looking to get a better understanding of a company’s vision ought to consider the major stakeholders involved, seeing as how they can hold tremendous influence over future growth prospects. Knowing the biggest shareholders of a company likely won’t help you formulate an investment thesis or settle on an entry price, but it may shed additional insights into qualitative factors like corporate governance and the management structure.
