Apple is sitting on an alarmingly big pile of cash, stirring speculation that the tech giant might begin to issue quarterly dividends. As Apple’s market capitalization approaches $500 billion this year, it is expected to give its investors a little something to help shake off allegations that the tech giant is hoarding too much cash.

Don’t Miss: Groupon Takes Another Dip in the Talent Pool.

Under the command of the late Steve Jobs, Apple was known for its penny-pinching tendencies. But new CEO Tim Cook admits the cash stockpile is more than Apple needs to run the company. Many investors, including Wedgewood Partners Inc. and Sustainable Growth Advisers LP, have called on Apple to pay a dividend and share part of the capital.

Although a dividend was not mentioned at its shareholders meeting last week, Apple is expected to announce a quarterly dividend of around $2 a share before the year is out, a figure based on recent dividends paid by other tech giants, including Microsoft and IBM .

A $2 a-quarter dividend would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Apple’s top institutional investors, such as Fidelity Management & Research Co., Vanguard Group Inc., and State Street Corp. Apple can easily afford the $7.46 billion a year that a $2 dividend would cost. Apple may also buy back shares to lift its stock price. A dividend would no doubt shake up the tech industry, and could attract a whole new class of investors looking to hold stock in dividend-paying companies.

Rather than making quarterly payments, Apple may choose to make a single payout that would leave investors less vulnerable to increases in taxes on dividends, according to Doron Nissim, a professor of accounting at Columbia Business School in New York. A one-time distribution would also protect Apple’s high stock price. However, Apple keeps about 60 percent of its money in overseas accounts, which limits the amount available for a payout. Whether Apple intends to issue quarterly payments or a dividend smaller that $2 a share is still in question, but it now seems likely Apple will find a way to return cash to stockholders.

Investor Insights:

Google is French Toast.
Pinterest Becomes Top Referral Source for Women’s Magazines.
Google+ Gets Pinned.

To contact the reporter on this story: Diallah Haidar at staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Damien Hoffman at editors@wallstcheatsheet.com