Dell Q1 2014 earnings show steep drop in income

Dell has reported is Q1 2014 fiscal year earnings for the quarter, and things aren't looking to grand for the sliding PC company. They only had a slight drop in revenue compared to last year, but income and EPS took a nose dive in the deep end, with as much as an 81% drop with the company's EPS compared to the same time last year.

In total, Dell brought in $14.07 billion in revenue, but were only able to keep $372 million of it for themselves. This is down 51% from the same time last year, where they were able to profit $761 million. Operating profit also took a slide, down to $590 million from $1.01 billion from last year.

It's certainly not a good end to what is possibly Dell's last quarterly earnings report as the company is currently planning to go private again later this year, thanks to a generous loan from Microsoft, but it's possible we could hear from them again in three months if the buyout doesn't happen sooner.

Of course, Dell has mostly been spending its time making computers, but as the company admitted themselves, the PC industry is on the decline, and sooner or later the company is going to have to rethink their strategy if they want to remain in the black. Then again, a positive attitude is the biggest factor in success, right? Hopefully Dell can keep a smiling face on during these trying time.

According to HP, Dell has "a tough road ahead of them," which could just be HP's way of saying, "we're coming after you," but it seems that statement could go both ways. Dell's own buyout could spell trouble for the company, but it's ultimately a move that we'll simply just have to wait and see how it turns out.