Apple shares climb as beats on fourth quarter sales and earnings

Apple Inc shares climbed higher after hours on Thursday as fourth quarter sales and earnings per share beat analyst expectations.

Shares in the Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker were up 3.0% after hours on Thursday in New York. They had earlier closed up 0.6% at USD271.40.

In its fourth quarter ended September 30, net income was USD27.47 billion, up 86% from USD14.74 billion a year ago. Diluted earnings per share was USD1.85 compared to USD0.97, ahead of the USD1.77 estimated by LSEG.

Fourth quarter sales hit USD102.47 billion, up 7.9% from USD94.93 billion a year ago, and beating LSEG estimates of USD102.24 billion.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook commented: "Today, Apple is very proud to report a September quarter revenue record of USD102.5 billion, including a September quarter revenue record for iPhone and an all-time revenue record for Services.

"In September, we were thrilled to launch our best iPhone lineup ever, including iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and iPhone Air. In addition, we launched the fantastic AirPods Pro 3 and the all-new Apple Watch lineup. When combined with the recently announced MacBook Pro and iPad Pro with the powerhouse M5 chip, we are excited to be sharing our most extraordinary lineup of products as we head into the holiday season."

Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh added: "...thanks to our very high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, our installed base of active devices also reached a new all-time high across all product categories and geographic segments."

For financial 2025, sales totalled USD416.16 billion, up 6.4% from USD391.04 billion a year ago. Net income was USD112.01 billion, up 19% from USD93.74 billion. Diluted EPS was USD7.46 compared to USD6.08.