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Technology Stocks : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stephen wall who wrote (44241)	5/22/1998 3:51:00 AM
From: jim kelley	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 176387

Profit taking on the memorial day weekend is a much more explanation than the "whisper numbers" from the thread which were really all over the place. But you are right about being watched.

To: stephen wall who wrote (44241)	5/22/1998 8:11:00 AM
From: Mohan Marette	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 176387

The Twilight Zone! stephen: Thanks for the link to that article much obliged indeed. If these 'reputable business rags' are watching us I guess we have to be more careful in our predictions in the future,no???? Judging by our estimates from last quarter on this thread over 80% of us predicted the earnings way out of line and only a handful came even close. In order for Dell to have even come close to some of our 'whisper' numbers Michael Dell would have to turn in to an old fashioned 'Centurian' and come up with a sequential growth of 100% quarter in and quarter out and that can possibly only happen in the Twilight Zone and not with in the realm of reality. I for one say, we should me more careful in the future in this exercise (granted it is only in jest but still) and try to be within the realm of reason. As for me I think I am going to be a disciple of Rosemary if she accepts me as one.<VBG> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Excerpt from the article stephen pointed out. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Are you wondering why shares of Dell Computer (DELL) declined nearly three points on May 20, even though the computer maker reported stellar results on May 19, beating analysts' consensus estimates? Chalk it up to "whisper" numbers. These are unofficial earnings forecasts that circulate among investors, often on the Net, and that frequently push a stock higher just before a company reports earnings -- and sometimes drives it down even after a positive surprise if the actual number doesn't match the rumors. That's just what happened to Dell. Its share price rose 4« points to 94« on May 18 and another 1/8 on May 19 to close at 94 5/8. Soon after the close of trading that day, the company reported earnings of $305 million for its first quarter, or 44 cents a share. That was a 54% jump from a year earlier on a 52% gain in sales. Revenues rose to $3.9 billion from $2.9 billion a year ago. Analysts surveyed by First Call Corp. expected Dell to earn 42 cents a share. Normally, beating consensus estimates by two pennies would spark a rally. But in Dell's case, investors were anticipating a "whisper" number of 45 cents, says Chuck Hill, research director at First Call, a Boston firm that tracks analysts' earnings estimates. Dell's shares fell 2 27/32 to close May 20 at 91 _. For Dell investors, the pullback represents a buying opportunity, says Megan Graham-Hackett, who covers the company for Standard & Poor's equity research. "It was a difficult quarter for all of tech, and Dell's numbers were very solid," she adds.