Record Earnings for Dell

Looks like Dell has managed to avoid at least some of the market “air pockets” responsible for Cisco’s weaker-than-expected outlook last week. Posting third-quarter earnings after market close Thursday, the company reported earnings that blew the doors off the Street’s expectations, though sales fell a bit short of them.

The PC maker reported a profit of 45 cents a share on revenue of $15.4 billion. Analysts had expected it to report 32 cents per share on $15.7 billion in revenue–compared to 17 cents a share on revenue of $12.9 billion in the same period last year.

“Our strong results demonstrate that we are listening to customers and delivering what they want,” CEO Michael Dell said in a canned statement. “It validates that our strategy to offer choice and efficiency at every level of the IT enterprise computing stack is taking hold, and we are more focused than ever to being a true partner–not merely a provider–to our customers. Dell is growing in the right areas, and I’m very excited about our momentum.”