
Dell surges 40% as blockbuster AI server demand triggers forecast upgrades
Shares of Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) soared nearly 40% in premarket trading on Friday after robust demand for its Nvidia-powered artificial intelligence servers prompted the hardware giant to sharply raise its annual revenue and profit forecasts.
The Texas-based enterprise infrastructure supplier is on track to add more than $81 billion to its market capitalization if the gains hold into regular trading, with shares hitting $442.70.
The explosive growth underscores Dell’s emerging position as a primary beneficiary of massive data center investments by cloud giants including Alphabet and Amazon.com.
Financial gains have also been bolstered by targeted price increases and improved efficiency across its global supply chain management.
Late Thursday, Dell raised its annual revenue projection to a range of $165 billion to $169 billion, a substantial leap from its prior guidance of $138 billion to $142 billion.
The company now expects AI-optimized server sales alone to reach approximately $60 billion in fiscal 2027, up from a previous target of $50 billion.
Wall Street responded with a wave of target price upgrades, as at least three brokerages lifted their valuation metrics immediately following the blowout results.
Morgan Stanley analysts described the performance as "across the board one of the most impressive quarters we've seen in our time covering Hardware, especially in the context of what is happening across the component universe."
According to data compiled by LSEG, the stock maintains a median target price of $236.50, with 19 of the 28 covering analysts rating the company a "Buy" or higher.
The results highlight a broader structural shift in corporate spending, which is increasingly migrating away from software applications and directly toward core physical AI infrastructure.
Dell's stock has more than doubled in value so far this year, significantly outperforming the benchmark S&P 500 Index's 10.5% advance.
The blockbuster update triggered a sympathetic rally across the broader AI hardware sector, lifting key competitors in early trading.
Shares of Super Micro Computer rose 10.7%, while Hewlett Packard advanced 23.5% following the announcement.
For the fiscal first quarter, Dell reported an 88% surge in total revenue to $43.84 billion.
The final figure handily beat the LSEG-compiled average analyst consensus estimate, which had anticipated revenue of $35.43 billion.