Apple posted fourth fiscal revenue of US$36 billion on Thursday, up from $28.3 billion in the year-ago quarter. The company earned $8.2 billion in profit, or $8.67 per share. That's below consensus of $8.75 EPS. Gross margins came in at 40 percent for the quarter, down from 40.3 percent from the year-ago quarter.
“We’re very proud to end a fantastic fiscal year with record September quarter results,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “We’re entering this holiday season with the best iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod products ever, and we remain very confident in our new product pipeline.”
Apple sold 26.9 million iPhones during the quarter, in the middle of recently lowered expectations, and 58 percent higher than Q4 2011. Apple sold 14 million iPads, which represents 26 percent growth year-over-year. iPad units are below most estimates.
Mac sales came in at 4.9 million units, up 1 percent year-over-year, while the rest of the industry is in decline. That number is also higher than consensus estimates.
Apple is guiding for $52 billion in revenue during the December quarter, with EPS of $11.75. That's well below consensus estimates of $15.44—Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes had told clients to expect very conservative guidance in a research note on Wednesday.
Shares of AAPL slipped in after hours trading. As of this writing, the stock is trading at $603.96, down $5.578 (-0.92 percent).
The Mac Observer will be providing live coverage of Apple's conference call with analysts, which begins at 5:00 PM Eastern, 2:00 PM Pacific.
*In the interest of full disclosure, the author holds a tiny, almost insignificant share in AAPL stock that was not an influence in the creation of this article.