Apple this week issued a $3.5 billion, U.S. dollar-denominated bond to pay for its capital return program, outstanding debt, acquisitions and other operational expenses, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
While larger iPhones have driven sales among switchers, a new 4-inch iPhone is likely to drive upgrades among existing Apple users, to the tune of up to 15 million units per year, one analyst believes.
Analysts on Wall Street expect the new 4-inch "iPhone SE" may be priced at $450, taking the place of the entry-level iPhone 5s. But if Apple were to keep the iPhone 5s around at a cheaper price, it could allow the company to tap into new markets.
Outlook from Apple's supply chain has prompted investment firm RBC Capital Markets to forecast that the anticipated new 4-inch iPhone will net 10 million additional handset sales this year.
The European Commission is unlikely to rule on the legality of Apple's tax arrangement with the Irish government any time in the near future, the EU's lead antitrust watchdog said on Monday.
Apple will revisit its capital return program in April, and investment firm Piper Jaffray believes the company will use the opportunity to increase both its quarterly dividend payout and share buyback allotment.
iPhone shipments in the upcoming June quarter could be better than many investors on Wall Street expect, thanks largely to the anticipated launch of a new 4-inch model, according to the latest information from the company's supply chain.
This week's Apple shareholder meeting will be livened up by a proposal from the right-wing National Center for Public Policy Research, which seeks to have the company "review and report" on its operations in "high-risk regions with poor human rights records" after CEO Tim Cook spoke out on the Indiana religious freedom laws last year.
Apple's refreshed 4-inch iPhone is predicted by one analyst to add 10 million units to Apple's total handset sales this year, resulting in an additional $5.5 billion for the company in fiscal 2016.
A series of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings reveal activist investor Carl Icahn and David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital both shed Apple stock in the fourth quarter of 2015 after bullish prospects
Apple's massive share buybacks continue, as the company notified the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday that it is planning up to a 10-part bond to further finance its capital return program, in addition to funding corporate acquisitions.
On February 11, Apple will pay shareholders of record a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, but investors must have had settled ownership of the company's stock by Monday February 8 in order to qualify. Apple will pay out $2.898 billion in dividends on its outstanding shares for the quarter.
After beating Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter of 2015, Google umbrella company Alphabet usurped Apple as the most valuable company in the world on Monday in after hours trading.
Though Apple had a respectable December quarter, the company's outlook for the following three months calls for iPhone sales to decline for the first time ever. Analysts on Wall Street responded by trimming their price targets, though most still believe investors should buy in.
Apple's biggest quarter ever was something of a mixed bag for the company — it sold more iPhones than ever, but the company also expects revenues to fall next quarter. Following the announcement of its first quarter of fiscal 2016 results, executives from the company participated in a conference call with analysts and the media, and notes of interest follow.
The 2015 holiday shopping season was the biggest quarter in Apple's history, with profits of $18.4 billion earned thanks to yet another record performance for the iPhone.
Apple this afternoon is expected to reveal that it just concluded its biggest quarter in the company's history, with Wall Street watchers projecting an average of $76.5 billion in revenue from the holiday period.
Apple Australia recorded a gross tax rate of slightly more than 1 percent in 2015, Australian government records indicate, focusing attention once again on the iPhone maker's international tax strategy.
Shares of AAPL closed above $100 on Friday, as investors bought in ahead of earnings and once again returned the iPhone maker's stock to three-digit territory.
Investment firm UBS believes Apple sold a record number of iPhones during the just-concluded December quarter, but that fewer customers opted for Apple's high-end models when compared to a year prior, based on new market research.
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AppleInsider Staff
Neil Hughes
Mikey Campbell
Daniel Eran Dilger
