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Apple (AAPL) to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Offing?

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Apple (AAPL - Free Report) is set to report first-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Jan 27, 2022.

Apple did not provide revenue guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2022, given the uncertainty around the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The company expects the negative effect of supply chain constraints on the top line to be much greater than in fourth-quarter 2021.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is currently pegged at $118.13 billion, indicating growth of 6.01% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

The consensus mark for earnings is currently pegged at $1.89 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days and indicating 12.5% growth from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.

Notably, the company’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all of the trailing four quarters, the earnings surprise being 22.29%, on average.
 

Apple Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Apple Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Apple Inc. price-eps-surprise | Apple Inc. Quote

 

Let’s see how things are shaping up for the upcoming announcement.

Strong iPhone 13 Demand to Drive Y/Y Sales Growth

Apple’s fortunes are heavily reliant on the iPhone, which is by far its biggest revenue contributor. The device accounted for 46.6% of net sales in the last-reported quarter, wherein sales increased 47% year over year to $38.87 billion.

Strong demand for the 5G-enabled iPhone 13 is expected to have driven the top line in the to-be-reported quarter despite component shortages. Per Canalys, Apple regained the top spot with 22% of market share in fourth-quarter 2021.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for iPhone sales currently stand at $67.51 billion, indicating 3% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

Services Growth to Aid Q1 Top-line Growth

The Services segment is riding on the increasing popularity of the App Store. Apple currently has more than 745 million paid subscribers across its Services portfolio. App Store continues to grab the attention of prominent developers from around the world, helping the company offer exciting new apps that drive traffic.

Apple expects Services’ growth rate to decline as compared with the fourth quarter (25.6% growth year over year).

Services like Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Card, Apple Fitness+ and Apple One bundle are expected to have contributed to overall growth.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Services revenues currently stands at $18.62 billion, indicating 18.1% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

Wearables’ Growth to Remain Strong

Apple is dominating the wearables market, thanks to strong adoption of Apple Watch. The company’s Fitness+ subscription service, built on Apple Watch, is a game changer. Fitness+ tracks health- and workout-related data from Apple Watch that users can view on their iPhones, iPads or Apple TVs.

Apple Watch’s adoption rate continues to grow rapidly, thanks to the company’s endeavor to add healthcare features like electrical heart sensor and ECG app, along with the Blood Oxygen sensor and app to its smartwatch.

The consensus estimate for Wearables, Home and Accessories revenues currently stands at $13.79 billion, indicating 6.3% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

What Our Model Says

Per the Zacks model, the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat.

Apple has an Earnings ESP of +2.89% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Other Stocks to Consider

Here are a few other companies worth considering as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings in their upcoming releases:

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +3.47% and is Zacks #2 Ranked. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

AMD shares have outperformed the Zacks Computer & Technology sector in the past year. AMD returned 23.7% compared with sector’s rally of 3.9%. The company is set to report fourth-quarter 2021 on Feb 1, 2022.

Cirrus Logic (CRUS - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.48% and carries a Zacks Rank of 2, at present.

Cirrus shares have underperformed the Zacks Computer & Technology sector in the past year. Cirrus shares are down 12% compared with sector’s rally of 3.9%. The company is set to report third-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Jan 31, 2022.

Fabrinet (FN - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +0.91% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Fabrinet returned 34.3% in the past year. Fabrinet is set to report second-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Jan 31, 2022.



Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.


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