Dell's Earnings Rise 19%, Beating Estimates by a Penny

Updated from 5:10 p.m. EDT

Dell (DELL), the largest direct vendor of computers in the world, reported Thursday that its second-quarter earnings rose 19%, exceeding Wall Street's expectations by a penny, primarily because of a better mix of products as well as more favorable prices and component costs.

For the second quarter ended July 31, net income rose to $603 million, or 22 cents a diluted share, from $507 million, or 19 cents a share a year earlier. A consensus of computer industry analysts polled by First Call/Thomson Financial had forecasted earnings of 21 cents in the latest quarter. ...