Why Apple Stock Is Sliding After Hours Today - The Motley Fool

What happened

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) delivered powerful, estimates-trouncing results with its latest earnings release, published after market hours on Tuesday. But investors weren't satisfied, and showed their displeasure by trading the stock down slightly in post-market action.

So what

In Apple's Q3, the tech industry giant booked net sales of just over $84.3 billion, a 36% year-over-year improvement driven largely by stronger product sales (particularly of its 5G-compatible iPhone 12 line).

As for net profit, it nearly doubled, to $21.7 billion ($1.30 per diluted share) for the period, against the year-ago result of almost $11.3 billion.

A smartphone with a low battery graphic on its display.

Image source: Getty Images.

On average, industry prognosticators were modeling just over $72.9 billion on the top line, and merely $0.82 in per-share net profit.

The company wasn't shy to mention that it notched new revenue records in each of its five geographic segments. This was led by China's nearly 60% year-over-year rise, to just under $14.8 billion.

Apple also declared a fresh quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, matching the previous payout. It is to be dispensed on Aug. 12 to investors of record as of Aug. 9.

Now what

Apple regularly posts impressive growth and crushing analyst beats, so its investors are a tough and demanding audience by now.

In this instance, they might be concerned with a clutch of challenges facing the company. These include but aren't limited to current/potential legal actions from governments and rivals, a potential slowdown in sales growth if and when the coronavirus pandemic finally abates, and uncertainty about the next iPhone model scheduled for release in the coming months.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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