Apple reported financial results for its fiscal 2015 first quarter ended December 27, 2014. The company posted quarterly revenues of $74.6 billion and a quarterly net profit of $18 billion, or $3.06 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $57.6 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion, or $2.07 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 39.9 percent compared to 37.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 65 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

The results were fueled by revenue from iPhone and Mac sales as well as earnings from the App Store. The company sold 74.5 million iPhone handsets. 

Tim Cook (CEO, Apple): Our revenue grew 30 percent over last year to $74.6 billion, and the execution by our teams to achieve these results was simply phenomenal.

The company produced EPS growth of 48 percent over last year, and $33.7 billion in operating cash flow during the quarter. Apple spent over $8 billion on the company’s capital return program, bringing total returns to investors to almost $103 billion, over $57 billion of which occurred in just the last 12 months.

Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2015 second quarter:

• revenue between $52 billion and $55 billion
• gross margin between 38.5 percent and 39.5 percent
• operating expenses between $5.4 billion and $5.5 billion
• other income/(expense) of $350 million
• tax rate of 26.3 percent

Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of 47 cents per share of the company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on February 12, 2015, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 9, 2015.

[Image courtesy: Apple]