Apple (AAPL) stock fell early Friday morning after the company said it expects to face a $900 million headwind as a result of tariffs in the current quarter. Pressed by analysts on potential tariff impacts beyond its June quarter, CEO Tim Cook declined to comment, saying he didn’t want to “predict the future.”
For its fiscal second quarter that ended March 29, Apple reported results that beat on the top and bottom lines on better-than-anticipated iPhone sales.
Apple reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.65 on revenue of $95.4 billion. Wall Street was anticipating EPS of $1.62 on revenue of $94.2 billion, according to Bloomberg consensus estimates. The company also authorized an additional $100 billion in stock buybacks.
Tariffs Trigger Warning, Shares Drop
The company’s tariff warning comes as consumer technology companies are contending with Trump’s 145% tariff on goods from China. Apple’s iPhones, iPads, and other computers, however, are exempt from the duties. Apple said it is sourcing the majority of its iPhones destined for the US from India.
Apple shares were down more than 4% on Thursday following the company’s earnings call.
Apple Inc. (AAPL)
213.32 +0.82 (+0.39%)
At close: May 1 at 4:00:01 PM EDT
207.48 -5.84 (-2.74%)
Pre-Market: 5:30:25 AM EDT
Greater China Sales Miss Estimates
Apple generated $16 billion in revenue in the Greater China region in its fiscal second quarter; analysts were anticipating $16.8 billion.
Apple’s iPhone revenue came in at $46.8 billion, outstripping expectations of $45.6 billion and higher than the $45.9 billion the company reported in Q2 last year.
Mac and iPad revenue topped out at $7.9 billion and $6.4 billion, respectively. That beat analysts’ expectations of $7.7 billion in Mac sales and $6.1 billion in iPad sales. Apple’s services revenue came in at $26.6 billion, just under the anticipated $26.7 billion.
Shifting Supply Chains to India and Vietnam
In addition to sourcing the “majority” of iPhones sold in the US this quarter from India, Cook added that “almost all” iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods products would be sourced from Vietnam as their country of origin. Outside of the US, most product sales will have China as their country of origin.
As for the future, Cook said:
“I wouldn’t want to predict the mix of production in the future.”
Apple also said it plans to source more than 19 billion chips from the US this year as part of its effort to cut reliance on China and ramp up iPhone production in India.
Tariff Policy Uncertain, No Demand Spike Noted
Tariffs currently applicable to Apple are based on a product’s country of origin, and the company noted that most of its products are not yet subject to the reciprocal tariffs announced in April.
The White House is currently working on a plan for duties on semiconductors and has said those could also apply to things like smartphones and computers.
As for whether consumers tried to get ahead of any tariff-related price increases, Cook told analysts:
“We don’t believe that we saw obvious evidence of a significant pull forward in demand in the March quarter due to tariffs.”
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