Apple quarterly results voodoo
Like the clip-'n-check lists posted before the annual Academy Awards, Fortune's Tech Storm blog provided readers with a convenient way to score the Apple market prognosticators: A grid that runs down the expectations of more than 2 dozen "professional analysts affiliated with banks and brokerage firms, and the bloggers and day traders who roll their own." Who will guess best will be revealed with Apple's financial results, which will be released later today.
According to Thomson Financial Network, the Street is looking for Apple to report earnings of $2.07 a share on revenue of $12.05 billion, based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
More significant, however, are the so-called non-GAAP numbers that account for the full revenue from iPhones sold during the quarter. (GAAP rules spread it out over 24 months.
The consensus among the analysts we polled is that Apple will report non-GAAP earnings of $3.49 on revenue of $14.93 billion — up 31 percent and 27 percent, respectively.
Print it out, grab a highlighter and see who comes close and who is way out in the blue.