After The Bell: Apple, Yahoo Earnings on Tap

Technology bellwether  Apple (AAPL) is slated to announce quarterly earnings after the stock market closes Tuesday. Analysts, on average, expect the firm to clock earnings per share of $5.82 in the quarter, compared with $3.51 in the same quarter last year.

Markets will, however, look forward to Apple beating both its own conservative estimates for the quarter and analysts' forecasts, as it has frequently done in the past. Investors will focus on Apple's sales numbers for the iPhone and iPad and whether growth continues at the scorching rate as previously recorded.

In the smartphone market, a straight battle is emerging between Apple's iPhone and phones based on  Google's (GOOG) Android operating system. Apple's recent success in a lawsuit against HTC, whose phones use Android, could be under discussion. Margins for the technology behemoth might be under scrutiny, as well.

Also reporting earnings after the bell is  Yahoo . A survey of Wall Street analysts forecasts the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company to post earnings of $0.18 in the quarter, compared with $0.15 in the prior-year quarter.

Investors will likely track the struggling tech major's performance in the search and display-advertisement market, in which rival Google and social-networking site Facebook have taken a lead, respectively.

Clarity would also be eyed on the ongoing issue with Alibaba, a firm in which Yahoo holds a substantial stake. Alibaba recently announced the spin-off its Alipay unit into a separate company without saying it would compensate Yahoo for its share. Yahoo management has said they are working on resolving the dispute.