Posted on Friday, June 13 2014 @ 12:38 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Intel issued a statement that its second-quarter revenue will be better than anticipated thanks to stronger than expected demand for business PCs. While not specifically mentioned by Intel, it's believed that the death of Windows XP is responsible for the new wave of business PC sales.
As a result of stronger than expected demand for business PCs, Intel Corporation now expects second-quarter revenue to be $13.7 billion, plus or minus $300 million, as compared to the previous range of $13.0 billion, plus or minus $500 million. The company is forecasting the mid-point of the gross margin range to increase by 1 point to 64 percent, plus or minus a couple of percentage points, driven mostly by higher PC unit volume. R&D plus MG&A spending is expected to be approximately $4.9 billion, $100 million higher than the prior expectation of approximately $4.8 billion, driven largely by revenue- and profit-dependent items. The tax rate for the second quarter is expected to be 28 percent as compared to the prior expectation of 27 percent due to higher profits in higher tax jurisdictions. The expectation for second-quarter depreciation remains unchanged.
Intel now expects some revenue growth for the year as compared to the previous outlook of approximately flat. The change in outlook is driven mostly by strong demand for business PCs. The company will provide additional commentary on all business segments when it reports second-quarter earnings on July 15. The full-year gross margin percentage is now expected to be in the upper half of the previous range of 61 percent, plus or minus a few percentage points, driven mostly by expected improvements in unit cost and volume. A new full-year gross margin range will be provided on July 15. Full-year R&D plus MG&A spending is expected to be $19.2 billion, plus or minus $200 million, higher than the prior expectation of $18.9 billion, plus or minus $200 million, driven mostly by revenue- and profit-dependent items. The tax rate for each of the remaining quarters of 2014 is expected to be 28 percent, as compared to the prior expectation of 27 percent due to higher profits in higher tax jurisdictions. The expectations for full-year depreciation and capital spending are unchanged. No other guidance from the April 15 earnings release remains in effect.
