Apple vs Bayer: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Apple reported $416.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $112B of net income. Bayer reported ~$51.5B of revenue in FY2025 and a net loss of ~$4.1B.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Apple
Apple's fiscal 2025 results describe a hardware business with software margins. Net sales rose 6 percent to $416.2 billion, net income reached $112.0 billion, and total gross margin was 46.9 percent, split between 36.8 percent on Products and 75.4 percent on Services. Services revenue of $109.2 billion, up 14 percent, is the reason the blended margin keeps rising. Cash generation is the other defining feature: operations produced $111.5 billion in fiscal 2025, and Apple returned $89.3 billion through share repurchases and $15.4 billion in dividends, after announcing a new repurchase authorization of up to $100 billion and raising the quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share in May 2025. Research and development came to $34.6 billion, 8 percent of net sales, and cash plus marketable securities stood at $132.4 billion at year end.
Bayer
Bayer's accounts still carry the 2018 Monsanto acquisition. FY2025 sales were ~$51.5 billion (EUR 45,575 million), down 2.2 percent as reported and up 1.1 percent adjusted for currency and portfolio. EBITDA before special items was ~$11 billion (EUR 9.7 billion) and free cash flow ~$2.35 billion (EUR 2,084 million), yet the group reported an EBIT of minus ~$1.22 billion (EUR 1,077 million) and a net loss of ~$4.09 billion (EUR 3,620 million), because other operating expenses net of income reached minus ~$8.34 billion (EUR 7,377 million), mainly litigation provisions. Net financial debt fell 8.5 percent to ~$33.7 billion (EUR 29,843 million). The dividend has stayed at the legally required minimum of EUR 0.11 per share since 2023, so cash goes to debt and settlements rather than shareholders.
Revenue and profit by year
Apple
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $416.2B | $112B | 26.9% | +6.4% | Source |
| FY2024 | $391B | $93.7B | 24.0% | +2.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $383.3B | $97B | 25.3% | -2.8% | Source |
| FY2022 | $394.3B | $99.8B | 25.3% | +7.8% | Source |
| FY2021 | $365.8B | $94.7B | 25.9% | +33.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $274.5B | $57.4B | 20.9% | +5.5% | Source |
| FY2019 | $260.2B | $55.3B | 21.2% | -2.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | $265.6B | $59.5B | 22.4% | +15.9% | Source |
| FY2017 | $229.2B | $48.4B | 21.1% | +6.3% | Source |
| FY2016 | $215.6B | $45.7B | 21.2% | — | Source |
Bayer
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$51.5B | ~-$4.1B | -7.9% | -2.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$52.7B | ~-$2.9B | -5.5% | -2.2% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$53.8B | ~-$3.3B | -6.2% | -6.1% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$57.3B | ~$4.7B | 8.2% | +15.1% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$49.8B | ~$1.1B | 2.3% | +6.5% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$46.8B | ~-$11.9B | -25.4% | -4.9% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$49.2B | ~$4.6B | 9.4% | +10.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$44.7B | ~$1.9B | 4.3% | +13.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | ~$39.6B | ~$8.3B | 21.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Apple
- iPhone~50%
iPhone net sales were $209.6B in FY2025, up 4%, and the phone is the entry point into Services, accessories, AppleCare, iCloud and App Store spending.
- Services~26%
Services covers the App Store, advertising, cloud, AppleCare, payments, media subscriptions and licensing. FY2025 net sales were $109.2B, up 14%, at a 75.4% gross margin against 36.8% for Products.
- Mac and iPad~15%
Mac net sales were $33.7B and iPad $28.0B in FY2025, driven by Apple silicon refreshes, education, creative work and enterprise adoption.
- Wearables, Home and Accessories~9%
Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, home devices and accessories were $35.7B in FY2025, down 4%, and they deepen iPhone attachment.
Bayer
- Crop Science
about 47%
Seeds, biotech traits, crop protection chemicals and digital farming produced ~$24.4 billion (EUR 21,622 million) of 2025 sales, led by Corn Seed and Traits at ~$8.08 billion (EUR 7,149 million).
- Pharmaceuticals
about 39%
Prescription medicines produced ~$20.1 billion (EUR 17,829 million) of 2025 sales, with Eylea at ~$3.51 billion (EUR 3,110 million), Nubeqa at ~$2.7 billion (EUR 2,385 million), Xarelto at ~$2.65 billion (EUR 2,344 million) and the Mirena family at ~$1.54 billion (EUR 1,366 million).
- Consumer Health
about 13%
Over-the-counter brands produced ~$6.56 billion (EUR 5,802 million) of 2025 sales across nutritionals, allergy and cold, pain and cardio, digestive health and dermatology.
Business model and strategy
Apple
How it makes money
Apple sells hardware at premium prices and keeps the software, distribution and payment layers on top of it. The iPhone is the entry point, at $209.6 billion of fiscal 2025 net sales, and it pulls customers into iOS, iCloud storage plans, App Store purchases, AppleCare and accessories.
Growth strategy
Growth now comes from monetizing an installed base of more than 2.5 billion devices rather than from unit growth alone. Services rose 14 percent to $109.2 billion in fiscal 2025 on the App Store, advertising, iCloud, AppleCare, payments and subscription media, and Apple packages them through the Apple One bundle.
Competitive advantage
Apple's advantage comes from owning the parts other phone makers buy. It designs its own silicon, the A20 Pro in iPhone 18 Pro and the M5 in Mac and iPad Pro, plus the operating systems, the app store, the payment layer and the retail channel, so hardware, software and services are tuned to each other.
Bayer
How it makes money
Bayer runs two very different businesses plus a consumer brand portfolio. Pharmaceuticals spent ~$3.91 billion (EUR 3,456 million) on research and development in 2025 to develop and launch patented specialty medicines in oncology, cardiovascular and renal disease, women's health and radiology, and sells them to hospitals and specialist prescribers at high gross margins.
Growth strategy
After a strategic review in March 2024 Bayer decided not to break itself up, keeping the three divisions together while it works on litigation and debt. Growth therefore has to come from inside: scaling Nubeqa, which reached ~$2.7 billion (EUR 2,385 million) of sales in 2025, and Kerendia at ~$937 million (EUR 829 million); launching Lynkuet, Beyonttra and Hyrnuo; filing gadoquatrane in radiology;
Competitive advantage
Bayer's strongest position is in seeds and traits. Corn Seed and Traits alone generated ~$8.08 billion (EUR 7,149 million) of sales in 2025, up 9.0 percent as reported, because growers buy hybrid seed together with the trait packages licensed into it and then buy matching crop protection chemistry. Changing seed supplier means changing agronomic practice mid-rotation, which slows share loss.
Questions about Apple vs Bayer
Which company has higher revenue — Apple Inc. or Bayer AG?
Apple Inc. reported $416.2B (FY2025), while Bayer AG reported ~$51.5B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Apple Inc. is the larger business, with Bayer AG reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Apple Inc. vs Bayer AG?
Apple Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $4.98T, while Bayer AG's is $47.1B. Apple Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Bayer AG.
Which is more financially efficient — Apple Inc. or Bayer AG?
Apple Inc. generates $2.51M / employee in revenue per employee, while Bayer AG generates $585k / employee. Apple Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Apple Inc. and Bayer AG make money?
Apple Inc. and Bayer AG generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Apple Inc.: Apple sells hardware at premium prices and keeps the software, distribution and payment layers on top of it. Bayer AG: Bayer runs two very different businesses plus a consumer brand portfolio.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Apple Inc. or Bayer AG?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Apple Inc. trades at 12.0x P/S and Bayer AG at 0.9x P/S. Apple Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Bayer AG. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Apple Inc. bigger than Bayer AG?
By last reported revenue, Apple Inc. ($416.2B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Bayer AG (~$51.5B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Apple vs Bayer overview