Apple announced its third-quarter financial results on Thursday (30), demonstrating performance better than expected by the market, significantly driven by iPhone sales. Despite the positive indicators, the corporation's shares fell during trading after the market close.
Quarterly Financial Results
The company's total revenue reached US$ 109.4 billion (equivalent to R$ 555.8 billion), exceeding the projection of US$ 108.6 billion (R$ 551.9 billion) compiled by LSEG. Net income rose to US$ 29.7 billion (R$ 151.3 billion), corresponding to US$ 2.02 (R$ 10.26) per share, compared to US$ 24.4 billion (R$ 124.1 billion) or US$ 1.57 (R$ 7.97) recorded in the same period last year. Apple reported that this result was benefited by a positive impact of US$ 0.11 (R$ 0.56) per share derived from tariff refunds.
Earnings per share reached US$ 2.02 (R$ 10.26), surpassing the expectation of US$ 1.89 (R$ 9.60), although the company noted that this value is not directly comparable to analysts' estimates.
iPhone and Other Segment Highlights
The main driver for the quarter was the iPhone. Revenue from this smartphone line totaled US$ 54.2 billion (R$ 275.5 billion), surpassing the forecast of US$ 53.8 billion (R$ 273.6 billion) and representing a growth of almost 22% compared to the previous year. In an interview with CNBC, Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, described the performance as an 'extraordinary result,' attributing the success to the iPhone 17, whose commercial cycle is ahead of the new model launch scheduled for September.
Cook mentioned that the company observed strong behavior in trading old devices for newer models, stating: 'We had a significant boost in iPhone sales since the launch.' In addition to the iPhone, the Mac computer line also exceeded expectations, with revenue of US$ 10.3 billion (R$ 52.5 billion), above the predicted US$ 8.7 billion (R$ 44.4 billion). The iPad generated US$ 6.19 billion, falling short of the estimate of US$ 6.9 billion (R$ 35.1 billion).
The wearables division, which includes Apple Watch and AirPods, generated US$ 7.88 billion (R$ 40.02 billion), slightly above the expectation of US$ 7.82 billion (R$ 39.7 billion). On the other hand, the Services segment collected US$ 30.7 billion (R$ 156.1 billion), below the projection of US$ 31.2 billion (R$ 158.5 billion). The company's gross margin was 50.1%, a figure that cannot be directly compared to analysts' estimates due to the effects of tariff refunds. At the end of the quarter, Apple held US$ 146.5 billion (R$ 744.2 billion) in cash.
Future Outlook and Technological Challenges
The company did not release official projections for the next quarter, following a common practice before the investor earnings conference. This period marks the last reporting season under Tim Cook's management before the transition of his CEO role to John Ternus, Apple's current hardware division leader. During the conference call, Cook is also expected to address the global memory shortage, a problem the executive recently classified as a 'once-in-a-century flood.'
The competition for chip manufacturing capacity has already prompted Apple to raise prices for Macs and iPads. Although there are no announcements yet regarding adjustments for the iPhone, several analysts predict increases later this year. Concurrently, the company is preparing to launch, in September, a revamped version of Siri using Google technology, along with the new iPhone models. This launch is seen as a crucial test for Apple amid investor concerns about the company potentially lagging in the artificial intelligence race.
Despite the obstacles, Apple managed to record revenue growth of over 15% for the third consecutive quarter. Investors are also awaiting statements from John Ternus, a veteran of the company with 25 years of service, who had little participation in the previous earnings conference, held shortly after the announcement of the leadership change.