Isaac Newton be damned Apple (AAPL) is falling higher by more than 7%. The company posted a terrific quarter last night, beating on the top and bottom lines and recording its best margins in years. Shareholders are also jazzed over a $30 billion increase of its buyback program, an 8% dividend boost and weirdest of all a 7 for 1 stock split. That’s right: 7. Post-split Apple will be about $80 per share; almost exactly the median price of the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI). I still say it’s a huge mistake not to be investing in the store base but we’re making money today so who cares?
Happily for growth stock lovers there’s Facebook (FB). Shares are up a tick today after the company took a steel-toed boot to earnings estimates last night. Facebook earned 34-cents per share on $2.5 billion in revenue, well ahead of expectations on both fronts. Mobile revenues and active engagement, Facebook’s two most closely watched metrics, were both strong as well. As for the shares, well, they’re still pricey to say the least at more than 100 times earnings but last night was a good reminder of what a marvelous earnings machine the Hoodie-Man has built. Had they their druthers, Wall Street would like to see Facebook digest some of its pricey acquisitions but Mark Zuckerburg is clearly driving, everyone else is simply along for the ride.
Last and least in almost every respect is Zynga (ZNGA). Shares are down more than 3% after the company reported a typically noisy quarter last night. Results seemed to be more or less in line and the outlook is, as always, murky for Zynga which is still struggling to find a compelling core business. What’s really being debated today is Zynga founder Mark Pincus exiting his post as Chief Product Officer. Pincus’ exit from day to day operations leaves CEO Don Mattrick as the official Master chef at Zynga. Mattrick is a highly respected former Microsoft exec but Zynga still has a long way to go before Wall Street will be convinced there’s life after Farmville