Will Apple Issue Biggest Dividend in History?

Analysts who were polled by Bloomberg seem to be in consensus that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) may raise its dividend yield by at least 50 percent, to help break its stock from the downward spiral it has been experiencing, Bloomberg reported.

This would provide investors with the largest dividend yield in the history of the technology industry in the U.S., and in total, is estimated to be worth $15.7 billion, or about $4.14 per share. This is a 56 percent hike over last quarter’s dividend, and represent the average figure of the analysts polled.

CEO Tim Cook, who at this time one year ago reinstated the dividend and announced a $10 billion buyback, has been facing increasing pressure from investors over what the company should do with its $137.1 billion in cash reserves. Investors — including David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital, who led a high profile lawsuit against the company to promote larger dividends — are asking for higher per share yields while Apple’s growth has been slowing and competition becomes increasingly fierce, Bloomberg said.

“The accumulation of cash has become excessive,” said Brian White, an analyst at New York-based Topeka Capital Markets. “It doesn’t matter which bearish scenario you forecast, they’re never going to need this much cash.” White ranks Apple’s stock as a buy, with an $888 price target, one of the highest estimates.

At 10:20 AM EST, Apple’s stock was up 1.28 percent, to $449.36…