Dell To Report Delayed Earnings Today

Dell initially was scheduled to post third-quarter earnings on Nov. 16. But the Round Rock, Texas-based computer maker said it would need more time because of the "complexity" caused by investigations into its finances by the Audit Committee of its board of directors and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Breaking with its conventional routine, Dell will announce the earnings in a press release and not hold a conference call with financial analysts to answer questions or provide additional details. Those calls are typically conducted by Dell Chairman Michael Dell, CEO Kevin Rollins and CFO Jim Schneider.

Wall Street analysts' average earnings estimate for Dell's third quarter is 24 cents per share. However, Dell has disappointed Wall Street's expectations in four of its last five quarterly earnings reports.

In addition to investigations by the SEC and the Dell board's Audit Committee, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has subpoenaed Dell's financial records going back to 2002. Dell, though, has revealed little about what regulators and prosecutors are asking.

In a Sept. 11 press release, Dell said various investigations had found "the possibility of misstatements in prior-period financial reports, including issues relating to accruals, reserves and other balance sheet items that may affect the company's previously reported financial results."