DELL has struggled to start 2025
Computer hardware giant Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL) is down 7.9% at $99.27 at last glance, following lackluster fourth-quarter results. The company's earnings came in at a record $8.14 per share, but revenue and current-quarter guidance disappointed. Dell also announced that it sold about $10 billion artificial intelligence (AI)-optimized servers the last fiscal year, and expects to sell $15 billion this year.
A handful of analysts lowered their price targets after the event, including Susquehanna to $105 from $120, though Barclays raised its own by $1 to $116. Morgan Stanley chimed in with encouraging words as well, saying Dell Technologies' report was 'better than feared across the board.'
The round-number $100 level, which captured DELL's early-February and September pullbacks, appears to be keeping losses in check today. Overhead though, pressure at the 200-day moving average has kept a lid on gains since December. Year to date, the equity is down roughly 13%.
Over in the options pits, 37,000 calls and 30,000 puts have been exchanged, which is quadruple the amount typically seen at this point. The weekly 2/28 100-strike put is the most popular, followed by the 105-strike put in the same series.