Advertisement

Dell announces Q1 2014 results: $14 billion revenue, 21 cents EPS

We doubt recent earnings reports at Dell have been met with balloons on the quad and sheet cake in the cafe. And that's likely the case this time around as well. The PC maker reported revenue of $14.07 billion, but earnings of just $372 million or 21 cents per share -- a bit shy of estimates. The company's stock price is hovering around the $13.65 mark, the amount shareholders have been promised once the firm goes private later this year. As you might imagine, Dell's books won't be open to public scrutiny once that transaction closes, making this one of the very last earnings reports. Things may not be looking so good for Q1 2014, but will the company end its public streak on a high note? We'll find out soon enough.

Show full PR text

Dell Reports Fiscal Year 2014 First Quarter Financial Results

Revenue of $14.1 billion
Enterprise Solutions, Services and Software revenue up 12 percent
GAAP earnings of $0.07 per share; non-GAAP earnings of $0.21 per share

ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dell today announced fiscal 2014 first quarter results, with revenue of $14.1 billion, as the company grew revenue from Enterprise Solutions, Services and Software 12 percent year over year to $5.5 billion, or 8 percent growth, excluding the acquisition of Quest Software. Pricing adjustments that affected gross margins and continued acquisition-related costs in the quarter resulted in GAAP earnings of $0.07 per share and non-GAAP earnings of $0.21 per share.

"We made progress in building our enterprise solutions capabilities in the first quarter and are confident in our strategy to be the leading provider of end-to-end scalable solutions"

"We made progress in building our enterprise solutions capabilities in the first quarter and are confident in our strategy to be the leading provider of end-to-end scalable solutions," said Brian Gladden, Dell chief financial officer. "In addition, we have taken actions to improve our competitive position in key areas of the business, especially in end-user computing, and it has affected profitability. We'll also continue to make important investments to support our strategy and drive long-term profitability."

Results

Revenue in the quarter was $14.1 billion, a 2 percent decrease from the previous year.
GAAP operating income for the quarter was $226 million, or 1.6 percent of revenue. Non-GAAP operating income was $590 million, or 4.2 percent of revenue.

GAAP earnings per share in the quarter was 7 cents, down 81 percent from the previous year; non-GAAP EPS was 21 cents, down 51 percent.
Cash used in operations in the quarter was $39 million. On a trailing, 12-month basis, Dell has generated $3.4 billion in cash flow. Dell ended the quarter with $13.2 billion in cash and investments.

Operating Segments Summary:

As previously announced, Dell has realigned its global operating segments to its end-to-end solutions portfolio in the Enterprise Solutions Group, Dell Services, Dell Software Group, and End User Computing Group.

Enterprise Solutions Group revenue was $3.1 billion, a 10 percent increase. Operating income for the quarter was $136 million, a 71 percent increase. Dell server and networking revenue increased 16 percent as the company gained share in the calendar first quarter. Dell networking continued to deliver strong growth, with a 24 percent revenue increase, including a 46 percent growth in the company's Force10 business. Dell storage revenue declined 10 percent.

Dell Services revenue grew 2 percent to $2.1 billion driven by an 11 percent increase in revenue for infrastructure, cloud and security services. Support and deployment revenue increased 2 percent and applications and business process services declined 15 percent. Operating income was $370 million, a 10 percent increase.

Dell Software revenue was $295 million, resulting in an operating loss. Dell enhanced its software capabilities during the quarter, investing in additional sales capability and research and development. Consistent with the company's business strategy when it acquired Quest Software, this business is on track to be accretive to earnings in the first quarter of fiscal year 2015.

End User Computing revenue was $8.9 billion in the quarter, a 9 percent decrease. Operating income for the quarter was $224 million, a 65 percent decrease. Dell desktop and thin-client revenue declined 2 percent, mobility revenue declined 16 percent, and software from third parties and peripherals revenue declined 6 percent.

Company Outlook:

Given the company's announcement on Feb. 5 of a definitive merger agreement to take Dell private, the company is not providing an outlook for the fiscal 2014 second quarter.