After Fiscal Q4 Earnings Report, Apple Skies Above $200 a Share

Apple (AAPL) earnings were $1.67 billion, or $1.82 a share, on revenue of $9.87 billion. Last year's fiscal Q4 showed Apple earning $1.14 billion, or $1.26 a share, on $7.9 billion in sales. Gross margin was 36.6%, up from 34.7% a year ago. International sales accounted for 46% of the company's quarterly revenue.

Apple earnings were fueled somewhat by its iPhone sales. The company said it sold more iPhones than ever during the quarter, 7.4 million, which is a 7% rise from a year ago. Those numbers were helped by not just the introduction of the new iPhone 3GS, but also by the lowering of the price of the entry level iPhone 3G to $99.

Apple earnings we also helped by Mac sales. The company (AAPL) said it sold 3.05 million Macs, 17 which was 17% more than fiscal Q4 2008. As many expected, iPod sales were down. The 10.2 million sold in fiscal Q4 2009 was 8% less than a year ago.

For the full fiscal year 2009, AAPL grew revenue by 12% and net income by 18%, this despite the recessionary times. The company gave guidance for fiscal Q1 2010, stating revenue in the range of about $11.3 billion to $11.6 billion and earnings per share in the range of about $1.70 to $1.78.

The company is typically conservative, so these number are probably low-key in their message. In the press release announcing the Apple earnings, Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs was quick to point out "a very strong lineup for the holiday season" and "some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010."

What is that code for? Rumors for Apple (AAPL) 2010 surprises include a tablet PC, as well as a refresh for the plastic Macbook. There are even rumors that Apple plans announcements for tomorrow, in what would dampen the sheen of the week that Microsoft's Windows 7 launches.