Apple predicts Q3 sales of more than $33.5m

Improvement in revenues expected at Irish medical outsourcing provider Icon

Apple will announce its earnings for the fiscal third quarter tomorrow, after the stock market closes.

The company has said it expects third-quarter sales to be in the region of $33.5 billion to $35.5 billion, and gross margin to be between 36 per cent and 37 per cent.

Société Générale last week forecast the company’s worldwide handset sales to be up 8 per cent year-on-year. It has predicted some 26.1 million iPhone units will be sold in the third financial quarter.

Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs predicted Apple revenue and EPS of $35.11 billion and $7.17, raising its price target on the company’s shares from $500 to $515.

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The tech giant surprised investors in April after reporting stronger than expected second quarter earnings, posting $43.6 billion in sales.

Icon results
Meanwhile, Irish medical outsourcing provider Icon, which has experienced a significant recovery from trough earnings in 2011, will publish its Q2 results on Thursday. It also holds its AGM tomorrow.

Davy Stockbrokers is predicting another sequential improvement in revenues and stable operating margins. EPS of 37 cent is forecast on the back of 16 per cent year-on-year revenue growth to $321 million, which is broadly in line with consensus.

The company had a strong net cash position of $201 million at the end of Q1 2013.