[lysace]

So I really wanted to understand the different kinds of margins. Yes, this was made with the help of an AI, with lots of iterations to make it applicable to Apple and easily understandable. I attempted to verify the numbers manually fwiw. Now please roast me.

Net profit margin: 26.6% ($29.58B / $111.18B) — what the company and its shareholders keep after taxes and everything else. (edited)

Operating margin: 32.3% ($35.89B / $111.18B) — left after the product and running the company (staff, R&D, marketing, stores).

Gross margin: 49.3% ($54.78B / $111.18B) — left after paying suppliers and contract manufacturers. Shows how much more customers pay than it costs to build.

[twobitshifter]

Correction, shareholders don’t keep the profit, the company keeps most of this on its balance sheet which may cause a corresponding rise in the price of Apple’s stock if people did not already anticipate that level of return. (And markets are rational)

The only money that shareholders keep is the dividend per share which was $0.27 out of a profit of $2.01 per share.

[lysace]

Good point. I'll add an edit.

[kshacker]

I know it is not you but the industry parlance, so a question to anyone knowledgable. Is gross margin ever useful? Sure 50% sounds like a lot, but without R&D and staff and other expenses, you can not make that 50% and even the 100%.