Why Apple Earnings Did Not Live Up to the Hype

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By Chris Lange Updated Published
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Why Apple Earnings Did Not Live Up to the Hype

© courtesy of Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reported fiscal fourth-quarter financial results after markets closed on Tuesday. This quarter had a couple of factors that played into it that had investors expecting more. First, Samsumg’s debacle with its Galaxy 7 had some fallout and definitely contributed to some Apple sales. Second, the iPhone 7 series was released but according to the numbers it was somewhat underwhelming compared to last year.

The company posted $1.67 in earnings per share (EPS) and $46.9 billion in revenue, compared with consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters that called for $1.65 in EPS on $46.89 billion in revenue. The same period from last year had $1.96 in EPS and $51.5 billion in revenue.

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In terms of its products, Apple reported its quarterly numbers as:

  • iPhones sold 45.5 million units for total revenues of $28.16 billion. The same period last year had revenues of $32.2 billion and shipped 48.0 million units.
  • iPads sold 9.27 million units for total revenues of $4.26 billion.
  • Macs sold 4.89 million units for total revenues of $5.74 billion.
  • Service revenues totaled $6.32 billion.
  • Other product revenues totaled $2.37 billion.

As for guidance, the company expects revenues in the range of $76 billion to $78 billion, with a gross margin in the range of 38% to 38.5% in the fiscal first quarter. The consensus estimates are calling for $3.19 in EPS and $74.98 billion in revenue.

The board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.57 per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on November 10, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 7. Apple has returned $9.3 billion to investors through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter and has now completed over $186 billion of its capital return program.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, commented:

Our strong September quarter results cap a very successful fiscal 2016 for Apple. We’re thrilled with the customer response to iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2, as well as the incredible momentum of our Services business, where revenue grew 24 percent to set another all-time record.

The company generated $16.1 billion in operating cash flow, a new record for the September quarter. On the books, cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities totaled $67.2 billion at the end of the quarter, versus $41.6 billion at the end of the previous fiscal year.

Shares of Apple closed Tuesday up 0.5% at $118.25, with a consensus analyst price target of $128.81 and a 52-week trading range of $89.47 to $123.82. Following the release of the earnings report, the stock was down 2.4% at $115.41 in the after-hours trading session.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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