Computer maker Dell on Wednesday said its net income
declined by 18 per cent to $764 million in fourth quarter of FY12, impacted by shortage of hard disks and
weaker demand in public segment in the US and western Europe.
The net income was at $927 million in the same period last year, Dell said in a statement.
Dell President (APJ) Amit Midha said the shortage of hard disks impacted supply of high-capacity hard disk drives for higher-end computers. "We could not get a proper mix (of drives), which impacted the ability to offer higher-end products."
Dell's revenue saw a marginal increase of two per cent in the reported period at $16.03 billion from $15.69 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.
The company's net income grew 33 per cent to $3.49 billion in FY'12 from $2.63 billion in 2011.
On full year basis, the company's revenues saw flat growth (one per cent) at $62.07 billion in the reported year from $61.49 billion in FY11.
For 2012-13, the company expects non-GAAP earnings per share to exceed the record $2.13 it delivered in 2011-12 and expects to continue strong execution, with cash flow from operations exceeding net income.
Dell, one of the world's major computer makers, expects first quarter revenue to decline 7 per cent sequentially, saying it aligns with normal seasonality adjusted for the fourteenth week.
The company, however, witnessed strong growth in the Asia-Pacific and Japan revenue at 10 per cent, including 15 per cent growth from China, while that from Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) increased 8 per cent in the quarter.
Revenues from India grew three per cent in the reported quarter, while for FY12, the growth rate stood at 13 per cent.
Revenue in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) region increased 10 per cent in the quarter and 15 per cent for the fiscal year.
The revenue from America was down 3 per cent, while revenue in growth countries (those outside the US, Canada, Western Europe and Japan) increased 8 per cent in the quarter and 12 per cent for the fiscal year.
Cash flow from operations in the reported quarter was $1.8 billion, and Dell ended Q4 with $18.2 billion in cash and investments, the statement said.
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