Here's How Apple Has Traded Following Every Earnings Report In The Tim Cook Era

With the world’s largest public company, Apple Inc AAPL set to released earnings after the closing bell today, now would be a good time to look back at just how Apple’s stock has performed immediately following earnings in the past several years. Here’s a breakdown of the market’s immediate reaction to Apple’s earnings since Tim Cook took over as CEO in August 2011.

Cooks reign
Today’s report will be the 15th quarterly earnings report for Apple under Cook. After harsh initial criticism, Cook has risen to the challenge. In fact, Apple has doubled its revenue and earnings per share under Cook’s guidance. Overall, Apple’s stock has risen more than 147 percent since Cook stepped in for Apple icon Steve Jobs.

The numbers
Despite Apple’s massive market cap, the stock has demonstrated volatile reactions to earnings reports in recent years. Apple has averaged a more than 5.2 percent move on the day following its last 14 earnings reports.

While the magnitude of Apple’s moves has been large, the direction of the moves have been hard to predict. In fact, the stock is averaging only a +0.4 percent overall return on the day following earnings.

More earnings facts
Apple is currently riding a four-quarter earnings winning streak. During the past four quarters, Apple’s stock has averaged a +4.8 percent move following earnings.

Apple’s largest up move in the Cook era has been +8.9 percent back in April, 2012. The biggest down move has been a 12.4 percent drop in January, 2013.

If you’re looking to make a prediction about how the stock will react to today’s Apple report, it might not be so easy. Of the 14 earnings reports since Tim Cook took over, Apple’s stock has traded up on the day following earnings on seven occasions, and it has traded down exactly seven times as well.