InveDeckEARNINGS · DELL

EARNINGS REVIEW

AI server growth amid PC and storage weakness

FY24 Q3 · 2023-11-03Release date 2023-11-30B$ · USD billions

Historical earnings report · Management guidance reflects expectations at the time of the release, not subsequent outcomes. The financial comparison uses the site’s normalized dataset, including comparative figures restated in later filings.

Servers and networking reached $4.7 billion, up 9% sequentially with AI-optimized server demand contributing, while storage fell 8% sequentially to $3.8 billion. Total ISG of $8.5 billion remained down 12% year on year; CSG at $12.3 billion fell 11% year on year and 5% sequentially.

Revenue
22.251 B$
Operating income
1.539 B$
FCF · company definition
1.448 B$

Assessment · AI growth coexisted with contraction in established businesses. The relevant tests are server shipment conversion, stabilization in storage and PCs, and the repeatability of cash flow.

01 Business drivers

Servers and networking reached $4.7 billion, up 9% sequentially with AI-optimized server demand contributing, while storage fell 8% sequentially to $3.8 billion. Total ISG of $8.5 billion remained down 12% year on year; CSG at $12.3 billion fell 11% year on year and 5% sequentially.

Evidence · 1 ↗ · 2 ↗

02 Earnings and comparison basis

On the filed comparative basis, revenue was $22.251 billion, operating income $1.539 billion, operating margin 6.92%, and net income $1.052 billion. Non-operating items and tax can separate net earnings from operating profit; the table distinguishes absolute changes from margin-point changes.

Against the previous quarter, the absolute changes were -0.683 B$ in revenue and +0.345 B$ in operating income.

Against the year-earlier quarter, the absolute changes were -2.470 B$ in revenue and -0.223 B$ in operating income.

Different segment trajectories mean AI demand cannot be generalized into a company-wide recovery. OCF of $2.152 billion was solid, but the approximately $9.9 billion trailing-twelve-month OCF highlighted by management is a different measurement period.

Evidence · 1 ↗ · 2 ↗ · 3 ↗

03 Cash flow and investment burden

Total quarterly OCF of $2.152 billion less net cash CapEx of $0.704 billion gives common FCF of $1.448 billion. Company FCF was $1.448 billion. Cumulative cash-flow subtraction uses the same fiscal-year start and business perimeter; acquisition consideration is excluded from CapEx.

Dell company FCF measures cash after net capital investment and differs from adjusted FCF excluding DFS financing receivables and operating-lease equipment effects. Consolidated cash flow including financing services is not standalone AI-server cash flow.

Evidence · 1 ↗ · 2 ↗ · 3 ↗

04 Liquidity and borrowings

Quarter-end liquid assets were $8.298 billion, interest-bearing borrowings $26.617 billion and net cash $-18.319 billion. A negative net-cash balance denotes net debt. Liquid assets include cash, cash equivalents and verified short-term investments; total accounting liabilities of $85.834 billion are a different measure from borrowings.

Evidence · 1 ↗

05 Scope of disclosed RPO

Verified contractual RPO was $39.000 billion. It represents transaction price allocated to unsatisfied performance obligations, not a demand pipeline, cancellable order backlog or ARR. Revenue timing, profit and cash collection require separate assessment, and other backlog measures must not be added to it.

Evidence · 1 ↗

06 Management remarks in the earnings release

Yvonne McGill characterized the results as “We have proven our ability to generate strong…”. This brief quotation records management’s assessment in the original release; it does not establish review of conference-call Q&A.

Evidence · 1 ↗

07 CFO assessment

AI growth coexisted with contraction in established businesses. The relevant tests are server shipment conversion, stabilization in storage and PCs, and the repeatability of cash flow.

Evidence · 1 ↗ · 2 ↗

Quarterly results · CY-aligned view

Metric · B$2022 full-year total1Q
FY23 Q1
2022-04-29
2Q
FY23 Q2
2022-07-29
3Q
FY23 Q3
2022-10-28
4Q
FY23 Q4
2023-02-03
2023 total of 3 included quarters1Q
FY24 Q1
2023-05-05
2Q
FY24 Q2
2023-08-04
3Q
FY24 Q3
2023-11-03
QoQ ΔYoY Δ
Revenue102.30126.11626.42524.72125.03966.10720.92222.93422.251−0.683−2.470
Operating income5.7711.5501.2701.7621.1893.8641.1311.1941.5390.345−0.223
Operating margin (%)5.6415.9354.8067.1284.7495.8455.4065.2066.9171.710 pp−0.211 pp
Net income2.4421.0720.5110.2450.6142.1780.6370.4891.0520.5630.807
FCF · company definition0.572−0.959−0.083−0.3511.9655.1171.0792.5901.448−1.1421.799
Operating cash flow · total3.565−0.2690.7240.3962.7147.1431.7773.2142.152−1.0621.756
Net cash CapEx · common2.9930.6900.8070.7470.7492.0260.6980.6240.7040.080−0.043
Cash CapEx · Chinese company definition———————————
FCF · total calculation0.572−0.959−0.083−0.3511.9655.1171.0792.5901.448−1.1421.799
Net cash · liquid assets less borrowings−20.981−20.468−21.427−22.420−20.981−18.319−20.801−18.774−18.3190.4554.101
Liquid assets · including short-term investments8.6076.6545.5074.9098.6078.2987.6318.3648.298−0.0663.389
Borrowings · interest-bearing debt29.58827.12226.93427.32929.58826.61728.43227.13826.617−0.521−0.712
Cash and cash equivalents8.6076.6545.5074.9098.6078.2987.6318.3648.298−0.0663.389
Total liabilities · accounting liabilities92.63690.76191.53088.54092.63685.83487.01888.33585.834−2.501−2.706

CY denotes the calendar quarter with the greatest overlap with the fiscal period. If the first period has no start date, 89 days before its end is used only for calendar mapping. Financial values are not recalculated into calendar quarters. Incomplete years show totals of included quarters; cash, liabilities, borrowings and net cash use the last period-end balance. QoQ and YoY show absolute changes; margin changes are percentage points. Dashes indicate missing evidence or incomparable periods or definitions. Total liabilities never substitute for borrowings.

Definitions and evidence coverage

A dash means unavailable or undisclosed, not zero. Company-defined FCF may differ from total operating cash flow less common-basis CapEx. Total liabilities are accounting liabilities, not interest-bearing debt.

This report reviews the quarter and comparative figures in official earnings releases and financial filings. Segment descriptions and guidance retain their original announcement-date scope. It does not imply completion of a full conference-call and Q&A review.

Official source documents

  1. Official earnings release ↗
  2. Official financial tables / SEC filing ↗
  3. Official financial tables / SEC filing ↗
  4. Official financial tables / SEC filing ↗
  5. Official financial tables / SEC filing ↗
  6. Financial filing · 2022-04-29 ↗
  7. Financial filing · 2022-04-29 ↗
  8. Financial filing · 2022-04-29 ↗
  9. Balance sheet · 2022-04-29 ↗
  10. Financial filing · 2022-07-29 ↗
  11. Financial filing · 2022-07-29 ↗
  12. Financial filing · 2022-07-29 ↗
  13. Balance sheet · 2022-07-29 ↗
  14. Financial filing · 2022-10-28 ↗
  15. Financial filing · 2022-10-28 ↗
  16. Financial filing · 2022-10-28 ↗
  17. Balance sheet · 2022-10-28 ↗
  18. Financial filing · 2023-02-03 ↗
  19. Financial filing · 2023-02-03 ↗
  20. Balance sheet · 2023-02-03 ↗
  21. Financial filing · 2023-05-05 ↗
  22. Balance sheet · 2023-05-05 ↗
  23. Balance sheet · 2023-08-04 ↗