Great Expectations Nothing New for Dell

Dell(DELL Quote) should have little trouble notching its financial goals for the October quarter, a performance that's come to be expected every three months by the investment community.

When the Round Rock, Texas-based company reports third-quarter results Thursday, analysts expect it to deliver on its guidance for earnings of 33 cents on $12.5 billion in revenue. Just meeting those targets would mean Dell posted some pretty impressive numbers, with year-on-year gains of 27% in EPS and 18% in sales.

The payoff for Dell's trustworthiness: Investors have bid up the stock 8% this year, compared with a rise of less than 2% in the Nasdaq.

While there's always the theoretical possibility Dell will stumble this time, it doesn't flub results often, having missed the consensus earnings estimate only once in the past five years. ...