DELL

PC Shipments Expected To Stabilize

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According to data released by the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker on December 2, personal computer (PC) shipments are now expected to drop more than 10% in 2013, slightly below the previous projection of -9.7%. Though 2013 will be the most severe yearly contraction on record, this news wasn’t the key takeaway. Instead, it was expectations for stabilizing demand by 2015 that provided a shot of optimism to the PC supply chain (see image below). Image Source: IDC The commentary provided by IDC was not terribly exciting, but market expectations are closer to the PC going the way of the dodo than stabilizing at just over 300 million units (roughly 2008 levels). We continue to believe that … Read more

Guidance Drives Slump at HP

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After mostly pleasing the Street throughout much of CEO Meg Whitman’s tenure, tech hardware giant HP (click ticker for report: ) missed top-line estimates and provided a bleak outlook for fiscal year 2014. During its third quarter of fiscal 2013, revenue declined 8.2% year-over-year to $27.2 billion, while adjusted earnings per share fell 14% year-over-year to $0.86, right in-line with consensus estimates. Free cash flow for the quarter equaled $1.8 billion, or 6.6% of total revenue. Printing Revenue declines in the ‘Printing’ division weren’t too drastic during the third quarter, falling only 4% year-over-year to $5.8 billion, and the company was able to maintain segment margins at 15.6%. This drove operating profit of $908 million. Though the printing business’ top-line continues to … Read more

As the Battle Continues, Dell Still Exists

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Over the past several months, the battle for control of Dell (click ticker for report: ) between founder Michael Dell and activist billionaire Carl Icahn has carried on. While it’s easy to get caught up in the details of the battle, predictions of who will win and the like, at the end of the day, there is a struggling operating company underneath it all. The firm posted second-quarter results earlier this week, with revenue flat year-over-year at $14.5 billion, in-line with consensus estimates. Earnings-per-share was $0.25 on a non-GAAP basis, down 50% from a year ago, but still slightly better than consensus expectations. The big metric that matters in this situation—free cash flow—totaled $1.5 billion, equal to 10% of revenue. Image … Read more

Intel’s New Management Team Looks Fit for the Challenge

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Earlier this morning, Best Ideas and Dividend Growth Newsletters holding Intel (click ticker for report: ) announced that it has ended its search to find a replacement for current President and CEO Paul Otellini. Stepping into the CEO role will be current COO Brian Krzanich, while Renee James will take the helm as President. Krzanich appears to be a typical Intel hire, in our view. Every Intel CEO has come from within after spending several years at the firm. Krzanich joined the company in 1982, and has since held various roles throughout the development and business side of the firm. His expertise lies in manufacturing, which has been a crown jewel of Intel’s competitive advantage over the past several years. … Read more

Michael Dell May Have to Sweeten His Offer

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Bidding for control of Dell (click ticker for report: ) between CEO/founder Michael Dell’s consortium, Carl Icahn, and Blackstone appears to be heating up. At this point, we’re fairly confident shareholders will receive more than the initial offer of $13.65, but how much more remains unknown. We think $15 is reasonable, but we would not be surprised to see the firm fetch a higher price with the amount of cash available for financing. Still, merger-risk arbitrage is not Valuentum’s style, so we won’t take a position in the portfolio of our Best Ideas Newsletter.

Carl Icahn Now Mixing It Up With Dell

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Late yesterday, it was reported that activist billionaire investor Carl Icahn has taken a 6% stake in shares of Dell (click ticker for report: ). Icahn has confirmed he has a position, and he sent Dell a letter describing what he thinks the company should do. Instead of going private, he wants Dell to execute a recapitalization, which includes $5.25 billion in new debt that will be used to leverage the company and pay out a dividend of $9 per share. Icahn Enterprises could provide the entire $5.25 billion in bridge financing. He also believes the $9 per share could be added to the existing price, unlocking additional value for shareholders. Icahn voiced his opinion on why the company should … Read more

With M&A Popping, We Think More Deals Lie Ahead

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Monday morning, Barnes and Noble’s (BKS) Chairman Leonard Riggio announced that he will finance a bid to take the company’s retail operations private. This comes after the announcement of several other major deals, including the OfficeMax/Office Depot Merger, Berkshire (BRK.A) and 3G Capital’s acquisition of Heinz (HNZ), and Michael Dell’s bid for Dell (click ticker for report: ). Let’s take a look at some potential targets. Apollo Group Results in the for-profit education space have experienced significant downward pressure during the past few years. Apollo Group (click ticker for report: ), owner of the University of Phoenix, has seen its share price cut by 64% during the past year, after being a cash-generating darling just a few years ago. The … Read more

Microsoft Remains a Terrific Company

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Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio holding Microsoft (click ticker for report: ) reported solid second-quarter fiscal 2013 results Thursday afternoon. Revenue jumped 3% year-over-year (5% non-GAAP) to $21.5 billion, roughly in line with consensus figures. Earnings per share declined 3% year-over-year (+4% non-GAAP) to $0.76 per share, a penny better than the consensus estimate. The performance from the Windows Division was relatively strong, in our view. 60 million Windows 8 licenses sold is a pretty solid number (as the image below shows), though we think the company (and the industry) would have liked to see the new operating system perform better (Image Source: Microsoft 2Q Earnings Presentation). We place a lot of the blame on the OEMs such as Dell (click ticker for … Read more

Intel Punished for Investing in the Future

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Thursday afternoon, semiconductor giant Intel (click ticker for report: ) reported better than expected fourth quarter results. Revenue declined 3% year-over-year to $13.5 billion, roughly in-line with consensus expectations. Earnings easily exceeded modest estimates, falling 25% year-over-year to $0.48 per share. Due to the weak PC market and the firm’s desire to clear inventories, gross margins were down significantly in the fourth quarter, falling 650 basis points year-over-year to 58%. Gross margin declines were the primary driver behind the lapse in profitability, but research & development costs increased $300 million compared to the same period of 2011 to 19.5% of sales (up 290 bps Y/Y). On a segment basis, the PC Client Group, not surprisingly, drove the majority of revenue … Read more

Dell Gets No Respect from the Street; Is it Time to Go Private?

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Rumors surrounding computer maker Dell (click ticker for report: ) going private stole the show yesterday afternoon. Several reports indicate that CEO and founder Michael Dell could be leading the charge to take the company private as the market continues to saddle the firm with a low multiple. We peg Dell’s fair value at $18 per share, so we completely understand what private equity investors are looking at. We think the deal makes a lot of sense for shareholders, but not necessarily for the company. Shares have been steadily declining as the firm’s core PC business fades, and we believe plenty of shareholders would love to be bailed out by a private equity bid that values the company at a … Read more