Tim Cook alone was awarded 200,000 shares (some $21 million)

Oct 1, 2008 06:40 GMT  ·  By
Apple executives (from left to right): Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, Chief Executive Steve Jobs, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller
   Apple executives (from left to right): Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, Chief Executive Steve Jobs, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller

Regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission reveal that members of Apple's executive team have been granted more than $122 million in restricted stock-based compensation for their current and future efforts, reflecting the company's growing Mac, iPod and iPhone businesses.

Nine grants were issued, ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 shares, AppleInsider reports. Combined, the shares carried a total market value of $122,101,600, with a $105.26 per share closing price.

As you would imagine, the highest number of bonus shares was granted to the equivalent of Star Treck's “Number One,” Chief Operating Officer Timothy D. Cook. Cook received 200,000 shares - that's a whopping $21,052,000. Senior Vice President Retail, Ron Johnson, and Chief Financial Officer, Peter Oppenheimer, nabbed 150,000 shares each, worth a total of $15,789,000.

Executives granted 120,000 shares ($12,631,200) included Senior Vice President Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller; Senior Vice President Software Engineering, Bertrand Serlet; Senior Vice President Mac Hardware Engineering, Bob Mansfield; Senior Vice President Industrial Design, Jonathan Ive; and Senior Vice President iPhone Software, Scott Forstall, the SEC regulation filings showed.

Apple's more recently employed Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Daniel Cooperman, was awarded 60,000 shares estimated at $6,315,600, again, based on Monday's closing price of Apple shares.

The bonus stocks are scheduled to vest on March 24, 2012, "assuming continuous employment," the filing reads. This way, Apple aims to keep its top brass members close. Should one of the above-mentioned execs leave Apple ahead of the vesting date, they don't get squat.

On Monday, Apple's shares fell to their lowest level in over a year, to $105.26 per share, a $22.98 decrease caused by Mike RBC Capital and Morgan Stanley's cutting their ratings on the company's stock. Predicting a high probability that interest in buying high-end electronics is decreasing among consumers, RBC Capital’s Mike Abramsky cut his rating to Sector Perform from Outperform, while Morgan Stanley’s Kathryn Huberty cut her rating on Apple's stock to Equal Weight from Overweight. Apple's shares are now up 8.40 - $113.66 a share.