Dell margins miss analysts’ estimates

Round Rock: Dell Inc, the world’s third-largest personal-computer maker, reported first-quarter gross margins that missed some analysts’ estimates after rising component costs eroded the benefit of a rebound in corporate demand.

Gross margin, excluding some items, was 17.6%, Dell said. That’s below the 17.9% anticipated on average by analysts, according to Maynard Um of UBS AG in New York.

Dell declined as much as 6.6% in extended trading after the report was released.