The Cupertino, Calif.-based company earned $1.26 a share on sales of $81.8 billion for the quarter ended July 1. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected Apple earnings of $1.20 a share on sales of $81.8 billion.
“Our June quarter year-over-year business performance improved from the March quarter,” Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said in a news release. “During the quarter, we generated very strong operating cash flow of $26 billion, returned over $24 billion to our shareholders, and continued to invest in our long-term growth plans.”