As we can see, April has been a very strong month for Apple, but most of it may be due to the strong earnings report that came out last week. Today, Apple shares reached a 52-week-high of $595.98. For a while now, their shares have been rising by 13% per month, closing in on $600 for the first time since late 2012. Some analysts are now raising their price target into well above the $600's. Another good news is that Apple also plans to increase its dividend and stock-repurchase plans, announcing a 7 for 1 stock split that will take effect at the beginning of June. We can look forward to the new larger screen iPhone that should be released sometime this year.