Dell Q2 Revenue Climbs 19.7%

Round Rock, Texas— Notebook computer and server sales increases led the way at Dell during the company's fiscal second quarter, with overall company revenue rising 19.7 percent to $11.7 billion, up from $9.8 billion in the year-ago period.

Net income soared 28.7 percent, hitting $799 million in the three months, ended July 30, compared with a year-over-year $621 million.

Gross margin remained flat at 18.2 percent for the fiscal second quarter, while expenses increased slightly from 8.4 percent in the second quarter of 2003 to 8.6 percent in the same period this year.

Percentage of total net revenue accounted for by notebooks in the second quarter rose to 29 percent, compared with 28 percent in the same three months a year earlier. Server share in the second quarter climbed to 22 percent from a year-over-year 21 percent. Desktop share dropped to 49 percent in the three months, down from 51 percent in the same quarter in 2003.

Dell reported a 19 percent year-over-year increase in product shipments in the second quarter, with server shipments climbing 31 percent.

Dell said Americas revenue climbed 16 percent in the second quarter, while Americas volume outside the United States jumped 25 percent. U.S. consumers purchased 29 percent more Dell notebooks in the second quarter.

For the six months, Dell revenue reached $23.2 billion, up from $19.3 billion in the same period a year earlier. Net income for the six months jumped to $1.5 billion, compared with $1.2 billion in the first six months of 2003.