Tuesday: Dell Earnings Impress Trading Throng

Compiled by John J. Edwards III
Staff Reporter

A stirring Tuesday of

Fed

watching draws to a close, and a big tech name in our first post-close item may set a go-go tone for Wednesday:

Dell

(DELL) - Get Report

reported first-quarter earnings of $1.08 per share, beating the

First Call

consensus estimate of 93 cents and the year-ago 42 cents. The computer company also announced a 2-for-1 stock split. The stock closed Tuesday at a 52-week high of 99 5/8 and traded up to 101 1/4 after hours, according to

Reuters

.

Computer Associates

(CA) - Get Report

reported fourth-quarter earnings of 90 cents per share, just as it said it would April 23. Despite the preview, the First Call expectation rose only to 89 cents from 86 cents. So CA beat the view by a penny. It earned 70 cents a year earlier.

Another

Apple

(AAPL) - Get Report

officer has fallen far from the tree: Chief Operating Officer George Scalise said he will resign to become president of the

Semiconductor Industry Association

. Scalise said he decided to leave because he felt he had largely accomplished the goals he'd set upon joining Apple about a year ago. The COO position will be eliminated.

United Airlines

, a unit of

UAL

(UAL) - Get Report

, said it agreed in principle to sell its 77% stake in

Apollo Travel Services

to

Galileo International Partnership

for $539 million. Galileo may pay United up to $154 million more in the sixth year after the sale under a services agreement.

The

Pratt & Whitney

unit of

United Technologies

will pay a $14.8 million fine for allegedly conspiring to funnel U.S. military aid to a slush fund controlled by a former Israeli Air Force officer, the

Justice Department

said.

Kohl's

(KSS) - Get Report

reported first-quarter earnings of 21 cents per share, up from the year-ago 19 cents. First Call expected the company to match the year-ago figure.