Dell Shrs Trading Off As Market Braces For Earnings

There is simply no way that Dell ’s (DELL) results for the fiscal third quarter ended October 31 i- which are due after the close - are going to bring good news. All of the warning signs are there, including that ugly Q4 outlook from Intel . The current consensus is for $16.2 billion in revenue and profits of 31 cents a share. The EPS outlook on the Street has been ratcheting steadily lower: 32 cents a week ago, 35 cents a month ago, 41 cents 90 days ago. What’s not certain is whether expectations have come down enough for the January quarter. The Street now sees revenue of $15.92 billion and profits of 36 cents, which would mean a slight year-over-year dip at the top line. Three months ago, the consensus estimate was 45 cents. Over the last few weeks, the stock has come down along with expectations. Since Election Day, the stock is down about 23%, and today is off 44 cents, or 4.3%, to $9.91. The question is whether expectations - and the stock price - have come down far ... (link)