New York, Feb 1, 2026, 06:00 EST — Market closed.
Apple Inc shares closed Friday 0.46% higher at $259.48, after moving between $252.18 and $261.90 during the session. Volume hit roughly 92.4 million shares before U.S. markets shut down for the weekend. Investing.com
The modest uptick arrived amid a Wall Street slump on Friday, as investors digested Donald Trump’s choice of Kevin Warsh to head the Federal Reserve alongside a stubbornly high inflation report. All eyes now shift to Apple’s next move, given its role as a key barometer for mega-cap tech sentiment. Reuters
Apple disclosed in an SEC filing that its quarterly revenue hit $143.8 billion, with diluted earnings per share at $2.84. iPhone sales reached $85.27 billion, while Services brought in $30.01 billion. Sales in Greater China climbed to $25.53 billion. CEO Tim Cook described the period as a “record-breaking quarter.” Meanwhile, CFO Kevan Parekh noted Apple generated nearly $54 billion in operating cash flow and returned close to $32 billion to shareholders, including $24.7 billion in share buybacks. SEC
Traders will zero in on Apple’s outlook and cost pressures next week. The company projects fiscal Q2 revenue growth between 13% and 16%, with gross margins expected in the 48% to 49% range. CEO Tim Cook warned that a tightening DRAM memory market could hit margins harder; Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have both reported worsening shortages. eMarketer analyst Jacob Bourne noted this memory crunch might squeeze hardware profits. On top of that, Apple highlighted an AI partnership with Alphabet’s Google and a $1.6 billion acquisition of startup Q.ai. Reuters
Nikkei Asia reported that Apple intends to focus on three premium iPhone models in 2026, including a foldable version, pushing the standard iPhone 18 launch to the first half of 2027. Reuters, unable to independently confirm the report, noted Apple did not respond outside regular business hours. Reuters
Monday’s key question: can Apple maintain Friday’s close when trading restarts, or will it surrender gains as investors reassess the margin outlook? The memory cost trajectory is a crucial factor here.
Investors are bracing for a slew of analyst model revisions following the earnings release, focusing on Services growth and Apple’s pricing power amid ongoing component supply constraints.
The setup works both ways. Should iPhone demand slip after the holiday quarter or supply chain issues persist, Apple could struggle to offset rising memory costs without denting its profits.
Apple’s next fixed date to watch is the dividend. The company announced a regular cash payout of $0.26 per share, setting the record date for Feb. 9 and the payment date for Feb. 12. investor.apple.com
