Dell's net income for the three months to Oct. 30 was US$337 million, or $0.17 per share, down from $727 million, or $0.37 a share, in the same quarter last year, the company . Revenue declined 15 percent to $12.9 billion.

Sales were down from last year in all of Dell's main business units, including the large-enterprise division, where revenue dropped 23 percent, and the small-and-medium-sized business segment, where revenue fell 19 percent.

Still, Chief Financial Officer Brian Gladden said Dell saw some "encouraging signs" and that business had started to improve in some commercial markets. Sales in its enterprise and small-business segments, while down year-over-year, were up sequentially for the first time in seven quarters, he said.

"While we've been talking about demand stabilizing in prior quarters, we're now seeing signs of improvement in some markets, including key commercial markets worldwide," he said during a call with reporters.

Still, the results were poorer than expected. Dell's profit before one-time charges was $0.23 per share, below the $0.28 that financial analysts had forecast, according to Thomson Reuters. Its revenue also came in below Wall Street's target.