Apple kept its quarterly cash dividend at $0.27 per share while reporting the strongest September quarter in its history. The company posted revenue of $114.5 billion for its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter, up 12 percent from a year earlier, with diluted earnings of $2.10 per share.
What happened
Apple announced the results on November 2, 2026, for the fiscal fourth quarter ended September 26, 2026. The board declared a cash dividend of $0.27 per share, payable on November 16, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 12, 2026.
The payout matches the rate the board set in April 2026, when it raised the dividend 4 percent from $0.26 to $0.27 per share. Four quarters at the current rate would total $1.08 per share on an annualized basis.
Key numbers from the quarter
| Metric | Fiscal Q4 2026 | Year-ago quarter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $114.5 billion | — | Up 12 percent |
| Diluted EPS | $2.10 | — | Up 14 percent |
| Net income | $30.711 billion | $27.466 billion | Up about 12 percent |
| iPhone revenue | $57.58 billion | — | September quarter record |
| iPad revenue | $6.229 billion | $6.952 billion | Down about 10 percent |
| Gross margin | 47.9 percent | — | Includes tariff refund benefit |
| Operating cash flow | $28 billion | — | Returned to shareholders in the quarter |
Diluted earnings of $2.10 beat the $1.99 consensus estimate compiled by LSEG, and revenue topped expectations near $113.4 billion. Earnings included a favorable impact of $0.05 per share from tariff refunds, and the 47.9 percent gross margin carried roughly one percentage point of benefit from the same refunds.
Services revenue reached an all-time high, and iPhone revenue of $57.58 billion set a September quarter record. iPad revenue of $6.229 billion came in below both the year-ago figure and Street estimates, a rare soft spot in the report.
What the dividend means for shareholders
The fiscal year finished with all-time record revenue of $479 billion, Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh said in the release. Apple generated $28 billion in operating cash flow during the quarter and returned the same amount to shareholders.
Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, on his first earnings call in the role, called it the company’s best fiscal year ever and pointed to the new home-focused hardware lineup heading into the holidays. The installed base of active devices reached a new all-time high across all major product categories.
Income investors hold Apple for dividend growth and buybacks rather than current yield. The board has raised the payout each spring in recent years, which makes the April announcement the next scheduled decision point for dividend growth.
What to watch
- The stock slid about 3 percent in extended trading after the company issued a margin forecast that disappointed analysts.
- iPad demand after a quarter that missed both year-ago revenue and Street estimates.
- Holiday quarter response to the new hardware lineup, including the home devices introduced this fall.
December quarter results will show whether the record iPhone momentum carries into the holiday shopping season. For dividend investors, a held-flat payout after a 12 percent revenue quarter keeps the focus on the spring increase decision.
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