Dell Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:DELL) posted strong third-quarter earnings driven by record AI server demand, though revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations, sending shares down 5% in postmarket trading.
Revenue for the quarter ended November 1 rose 10% year-over-year to $24.4 billion, missing estimates of $24.7 billion.
However, net income climbed 13% to $1.13 billion, and operating income increased 12% to $1.67 billion. Earnings per share (EPS) of $2.15 exceeded forecasts of $2.05.
CEO Jeff Clarke highlighted AI growth, stating, “Interest in our portfolio is at an all-time high, driving record AI server orders demand of $3.6 billion in Q3 and a pipeline that grew more than 50%, with growth across all customer types.”
Dell’s Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) led growth with revenue up 34% to $11.4 billion, including a 58% surge in servers and networking sales. Storage revenue rose 4%. The Client Solutions Group (CSG) saw revenue slip 1% to $12.1 billion, as consumer sales dropped 18%, partially offset by 3% growth in commercial sales.
Gross margin fell to 21.8% from 23.1% a year earlier, while operating margin edged up to 6.8%. Dell ended the quarter with $6.6 billion in cash and repurchased $429 million in shares.
AI demand remained a highlight, with Dell reporting a record $3.6 billion in orders and over 50% pipeline growth. Despite the earnings beat, investor concerns over the revenue miss and weak consumer demand weighed on shares, which are up 86% year-to-date.