bob mansfieldAs revealed in a regulatory filing yesterday, Apple senior vice president for hardware engineering Bob Mansfield on Monday exercised a set of stock options he has held for a number of years, immediately selling off the stock for a gain of nearly $12.5 million. Under the stock option program, Mansfield was eligible to purchase 30,000 of Apple stock at a price of $36.54 per share and immediately sold them off in several batches averaging $452.28 per share.

Mansfield's stock options dated back to an award made in June of 2005 as an enticement for him to stay with the company over the next several years. Those options fully vested by June 2009, but Mansfield has been holding onto them since that time as Apple's stock has continued to surge. With the options set to expire in June of this year and Apple's stock continuing to perform well, Mansfield undoubtedly thought that this would be an excellent time to exercise those options.

Mansfield has been a relatively active participant in Apple's stock option and grant award programs for its senior executives, regularly cashing in his shares while continuing to hold only a small amount of stock. With the quick sale of this week's shares obtained through the options, Mansfield owns only 501 shares of Apple stock.

His stock sales do not mean that he is not invested with the company, however, as Mansfield currently holds one restricted stock unit grant that would see him earn 100,000 shares in 2014 and a second grant of 150,000 shares that will vest in two equal portions in June 2013 and March 2016. All of those grants, which together would be worth roughly $114 million at Apple's current stock price, are contingent upon Mansfield remaining with Apple.

Top Rated Comments

rdowns Avatar
167 months ago
It's a good time to cash out. He knows with Steve gone, Apple can only go down in the long run and they're already massively over-valued as it is. They were $83 a share just a few years ago. Over $450 a share? Come on. It would be stupid to invest at that price (and yes there are people at work I know buying it because someone told them it was a $500 stock...yes it might hit $500 for awhile, but gaining $50 isn't worth the risk of it dropping hundreds like it did a few years ago when it went from around $300 to $83 almost overnight). And this time it will NOT come back because Apple is now run by the same types that destroyed it the first time around. Apple has a few more years of profitability based on current products like the iPhone and iPad, but without a visionary to keep the products coming, it's only a matter of time and the stock will start slipping LONG before the profits end (and you don't make a dime when it drops...you lose your shirt and everything else you put into it). Clearly, Bob Mansfield is fully aware of this as the hardware chief and he's taking it to the bank. Kudos to Bob. ;)

Did you even read the story before you posted? These options were set to expire in June. In other words, use them or lose them. And as stated in the story, he has been active in cashing out his options.

"Apple is now run by the same types that destroyed it the first time around" Where do people get this stuff?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TurboMoses Avatar
167 months ago
No one can call him an idiot for making out with over 12 million, really.



His bro looks just as stoked:
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gmcalpin Avatar
167 months ago
One of his kids must be about to graduate high school. Time to pay for college! :)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
URFloorMatt Avatar
167 months ago
It's a good time to cash out. He knows with Steve gone, Apple can only go down in the long run and they're already massively over-valued as it is. They were $83 a share just a few years ago. Over $450 a share? Come on. It would be stupid to invest at that price (and yes there are people at work I know buying it because someone told them it was a $500 stock...yes it might hit $500 for awhile, but gaining $50 isn't worth the risk of it dropping hundreds like it did a few years ago when it went from around $300 to $83 almost overnight). And this time it will NOT come back because Apple is now run by the same types that destroyed it the first time around. Apple has a few more years of profitability based on current products like the iPhone and iPad, but without a visionary to keep the products coming, it's only a matter of time and the stock will start slipping LONG before the profits end (and you don't make a dime when it drops...you lose your shirt and everything else you put into it). Clearly, Bob Mansfield is fully aware of this as the hardware chief and he's taking it to the bank. Kudos to Bob. ;)
Spoken like someone who knows absolutely nothing about SEC regulations.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fhall1 Avatar
167 months ago
It's a good time to cash out. He knows with Steve gone, Apple can only go down in the long run and they're already massively over-valued as it is. They were $83 a share just a few years ago. Over $450 a share? Come on. It would be stupid to invest at that price (and yes there are people at work I know buying it because someone told them it was a $500 stock...yes it might hit $500 for awhile, but gaining $50 isn't worth the risk of it dropping hundreds like it did a few years ago when it went from around $300 to $83 almost overnight). And this time it will NOT come back because Apple is now run by the same types that destroyed it the first time around. Apple has a few more years of profitability based on current products like the iPhone and iPad, but without a visionary to keep the products coming, it's only a matter of time and the stock will start slipping LONG before the profits end (and you don't make a dime when it drops...you lose your shirt and everything else you put into it). Clearly, Bob Mansfield is fully aware of this as the hardware chief and he's taking it to the bank. Kudos to Bob. ;)

Look at Apple's P/E ratio - or pretty much any other comparitive number of stock valuation and compare it to other tech firms....just how do you figure Apple is overvalued? Just because of a high share price? Is Berkshire Hathaway overvalued because the stock sells for $118,500 per share?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GenesisST Avatar
167 months ago
I almost bought a block in 1997.

I bought Netscape instead.

:o

Hindsight is always 20/20, my friend. You probably did the best with the information you had at the time.

Heck, I would've started Facebook in 2002 if I'd known...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...