I can't speak for Mr. Cook, but I wished to myself "please split AAPL" just the other day.
I hold AAPL and I would like to let my dividends roll over via a DRIP managed by my broker. But at current prices, yield, and dividend frequency ($525, 2.3%, quarterly) I would need to hold $90k of AAPL for a dividend payment to buy a single share -- a bit rich for me. But after the split, that number goes down to $13k.
Hopefully your AAPL is in a non-taxable account. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for this [1]:
If all this seems complicated -- it is. A lifetime
of DRIP investing may create a morass of tax
obligations when the time comes to sell the DRIP
shares, with at least four new cost bases of DRIP
shares established each year (when dividends are
reinvested) as well as when any OCPs are made.
The first time I saw my accountant he literally shook my hand when I told him I didn't do DRIP.
Does your broker allow fractional shares in your DRIP? I hold a couple shares of AAPL in a Vanguard brokerage account and haven't had any problems reinvesting dividends for fractional shares.
I hold AAPL and I would like to let my dividends roll over via a DRIP managed by my broker. But at current prices, yield, and dividend frequency ($525, 2.3%, quarterly) I would need to hold $90k of AAPL for a dividend payment to buy a single share -- a bit rich for me. But after the split, that number goes down to $13k.