Apple posted $57.6 billion in iPhone revenue for the fourth quarter of 2026, marking its first quarterly report under new CEO John Ternus’ leadership and signaling a positive outlook for the newly restored world’s most valuable company.
Key Facts
Apple reported revenue of $114.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2026, above analysts’ $113.4 billion prediction and marking 12% growth year-over-year from $102.5 billion.
Earnings per share came in at $2.10, above analysts’ $1.99 prediction.
iPhone sales—a figure that includes the first eight days of its iPhone 18 Pro—were around $57.6 billion, beating Wall Street’s $56.6 billion prediction.
Apple shares fell 1% after hours in the immediate aftermath of the earnings release, having finished the trading day down around 1.8% at $338.32.
Key Background
Apple on July 28 became the second company to be valued at over $5 trillion, and is currently the world’s most valuable company, with a $4.94 trillion market capitalization at Monday’s close—a title it reclaimed from Nvidia on Friday. It was also the first company to reach a $1 trillion, $2 trillion and $3 trillion market cap. With the exception of a blip in July and another that lasted just a few minutes on the morning of Oct. 23, when Apple’s new foldable iPhone Duo became available, Nvidia has held the title of the world’s most valuable company since June 2025, when it surpassed Microsoft. Ternus took over as CEO of the company on Sept. 1, replacing Tim Cook, who served as CEO for nearly 15 years.
Tangent
Apple’s earnings are crucial for broader tech-sector stocks, which suffered a rough October. Compared to other tech giants like Alphabet and Meta, which are spending substantially on artificial intelligence, Apple has avoided high capital expenditures. But rising memory chip costs have driven up prices for many of its products. Apple’s new foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, starts at $1,999, though sales began in the company’s fiscal first quarter of 2027, meaning revenue from this model is not included in the fourth-quarter figure.
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