On January 23rd, Apple published another quarterly report (Q4 2012, which is the 1st quarter of the new financial year). The corporation set another formal record. However, even skeptics had anticipated better performance.
The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $54.5 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.1 billion, or $13.81 per diluted share. iPhone sales increased from 37 million up to 47.8 (y/y). iPad sales increased from 15,4 million up to 22.9 million (y/y).
At first, Apple’s stock (Nasdaq: APPL) seemed to be indifferent to the news. Right after the report, the stock depreciated by some 1% but then started recovering and growing. The stock closed the trading day in the green zone - $514 per share against $504 per share. However, during the «after hours», APPL depreciated down to $463,49 per share.
Quarterly Reports In Hard Times
It seems like Apple is no longer viewed as the pioneer and trendsetter of the hi-tech industry. Samsung and other rivals seem to start catching up with Apple in terms of the quality of their products. The latest presentations of Apple’s new products failed to create a furor. On top of that, apple lost several patient clashes last year.
Apart from announcing the results of the previous quarter, Apple set new goals for the current quarter (Q1 2013). Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, set the following goals for Q1 2013:
• revenue between $41 billion and $43 billion
• gross margin between 37.5 percent and 38.5 percent
• operating expenses between $3.8 billion and $3.9 billion
• other income/(expense) of $350 million
• tax rate of 26%
The chart below, courtesy of , reflects the current state of affairs in the market of APPL:
