US stocks have closed mixed, with the Dow creeping up to close at a new record high after mixed company results.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 22.19 (0.14 per cent) at 15,567.74, scoring a new all-time high. The prior record was set last Thursday at 15,465.91.
The broad-based S&P 500 gave up 3.14 (0.19 per cent) at 1,692.39, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index slid 21.11 (0.59 per cent) to 3,579.27.
Apple shed 1.7 per cent ahead of its earnings, due after the market closed.
Traders then watched as Apple delivered better-than-expected earnings helped by strong sales of iPhones, boosting the sagging share price of the maker of the iPhone and iPad.
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The profit of $US6.9 billion ($A7.50 billion) was down 22 per cent from a year ago.
This translated to $7.47 per share, well ahead of Wall Street expectations.
The California tech giant reported revenues of $US35.3 billion ($A38.37 billion) in the quarter ending June 30, helped by sales of 31.2 million iPhones, a record for the June quarter.
The quarterly data showed iPad sales disappointing, however, at 14.6 million compared with 17 million in the same period a year ago.
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Apple shares jumped nearly 5 per cent in after-hours trade to $US439.70 ($A477.93), helping a stock which has tumbled from last year’s high above $700.
“We are especially proud of our record June-quarter iPhone sales of over 31 million and the strong growth in revenue from iTunes, software and services,” said Apple chief Tim Cook.
“We are really excited about the upcoming releases of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks, and we are laser-focused and working hard on some amazing new products that we will introduce in the fall and across 2014.”
Apple is expected to roll out smartphones and tablets with bigger screens in the coming months in a move analysts say is an attempt to catch up with a trend set by its major rival Samsung.
While Apple is still praised for its trend-setting devices, it has been losing market share in smartphones and tablets, mainly to companies using the Google Android operating system.
“US stocks ended the day mixed, as the unexpected contraction in regional manufacturing activity and the plethora of divergent earnings reports left traders on the fence,” Charles Schwab & Company said in a market note.
Several leading companies, including Dow components DuPont, United Technologies and Travelers, reported profits that exceeded analyst expectations.
Netflix tumbled 4.5 per cent despite a fivefold increase in profits. Investors fretted that the company’s subscriber base is growing more slowly than in the past.
Networking technology firm Cisco Systems, a Dow component, gave up 0.6 per cent after announcing a $US2.7 billion ($A2.9 billion) acquisition of cybersecurity firm Sourcefire, pricing the smaller firm at $US76 per share. Sourcefire shares soared 27.8 per cent to $US75.49.
Coffee retailer Starbucks dropped nearly 2.0 per cent after announcing a tie-up with Danone to develop specialty Greek yogurt products to be sold initially only in the US market.
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