What to Expect From Apple's Second Quarter Earnings Results Today

aapl logo 2018Apple is set to report its earnings results for the second quarter of its 2019 fiscal year at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time today.

The quarter began December 30, 2018 and ran through March 30, 2019, according to Apple's fiscal year accounting calendar.

Apple's guidance for the quarter from January 29:

  • revenue between $55 billion and $59 billion

  • gross margin between 37 percent and 38 percent

  • op. ex. between $8.5 billion and $8.6 billion

  • other income/expense of $300 million

  • tax rate of approximately 17 percent before discrete items

Apple's guidance suggests that it will report at least its third-best second quarter ever based on revenue:

  • 2015: $58 billion

  • 2016: $50.6 billion

  • 2017: $52.9 billion

  • 2018: $61.1 billion

  • 2019: $55+ billion

Wall Street analysts forecast that Apple will report $57.4 billion revenue, above the midpoint of its guidance, and earnings per share of $2.36, according to 28 estimates averaged by Yahoo Finance.

What to Look For

  • Investors will be looking for iPhone revenue and Greater China revenue to rebound after Apple issued its first revenue warning in 16 years last quarter due to fewer-than-anticipated iPhone sales, primarily in the Greater China region. Wall Street expects iPhone revenue to be around $30.5 billion, according to six estimates compiled by Bloomberg News.

  • Any potential commentary surrounding Apple's settlement and chipset agreement with Qualcomm. Apple is expected to release its first 5G-enabled iPhones in 2020 with Qualcomm and Samsung modems.

  • Apple's growing services category remains key. Apple's services revenue reached an all-time high of $10.9 billion last quarter, up 19 percent year-over-year. This category includes the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, iTunes, Apple Pay, and AppleCare. Later this year it will expand to include the Apple Card, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and Apple News+.

  • Apple's stock price has increased by approximately 30 percent since its last earnings report on January 29 and positive results could further support the rally. Many analysts are bullish on Apple, as they believe that Chinese consumer demand rebounded during the quarter.

  • Apple plans to provide an update on its capital return program on its earnings call today. Many analysts expect a significant increase of between $50 billion and $100 billion and an increased dividend.

  • Apple's guidance for the third quarter of its fiscal year, which is typically its slowest in terms of revenue.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will discuss the company's earnings results on a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time today. MacRumors will loosely transcribe the one-hour call as it occurs live.

Tag: AAPL

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

Joe Rossignol Avatar
86 months ago
what is this? CNBC?
yes
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
86 months ago
In time electronics should get cheaper, not more expensive, my take is that iPhones got too expensive for China, actually for the whole world, but in the rich west it's not as obvious, higher wages/contracts/loans don't actually show how ridiculous pricey new iPhones are, just half a decade ago they were more or less half the price they are now, doesn't stop there, macs also got substantially more expensive in the last 5 years.

Greed/Wall street.....
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fumi2014 Avatar
86 months ago
I would like to see them take a real financial bashing to drain some of the arrogance from a company that has lost its way in recent years. Seems the only thing they're trying to sell these days is Privacy (well, unless you're in China - where Tim's empty platitudes are seen for what they really are.).

The products? A Netflix clone and a credit card.

What imagination.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Naraxus Avatar
86 months ago
More of the same from Timmy & The Boys

Little to no innovation in the Mac lineup. Doubling down on a bad keyboard design. More SJW-ing & platitudes from Tim and more greed from an already greedy company.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
86 months ago
We will see how China did and if they more aggressive measures taken improved the outlook.

I am interested in:

1) The buyback update.
2) Top line Revenue
3) China Revenue
4) EPS

In that order.
[doublepost=1556650719][/doublepost]
Their Long-Term Debt as well !

Last Qtr they reported $93B USD !
Yes, because they correctly borrowed money for buybacks when cash was stuck overseas. You'll sound foolish if you start trumpeting Apple having a balance sheet, liquidity, or cash problem. They have $130B+ in net cash. Case closed.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryanwarsaw Avatar
86 months ago
Buyback and dividend increase. My top two items. Make it good and retirement may be looming large.

I made a risky move and bought a bit more AAPL earlier when it dipped below $200. For better or worse. :)
How could anybody not buy a small amount to spice things up?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)