Computer maker Dell today said its net income declined by 18% to $764 million in fourth quarter of FY12, impacted by shortage of hard disks and weaker demand in public segment in the US and western Europe.
The net income was at $927 million in the same period last year, Dell said in a statement.
Dell President (APJ) Amit Midha said the shortage of hard disks impacted supply of high-capacity hard disk drives for higher-end computers.
"We could not get a proper mix (of drives), which impacted the ability to offer higher-end products." Dell's revenue saw a marginal increase of 2% in the reported period at $16.03 billion from $15.69 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.
The company's net income grew 33% to $3.49 billion in FY12 from $2.63 billion in 2011.
On full year basis, the company's revenues saw flat growth (1%) at $62.07 billion in the reported year from $61.49 billion in FY11.
For fiscal 2013, the company expects non-GAAP earnings per share to exceed the record $2.13 it delivered in fiscal 2012 and expects to continue strong execution, with cash flow from operations exceeding net income.
Dell, one of the world's major computer makers, expects first quarter revenue to decline 7% sequentially, saying it aligns with normal seasonality adjusted for the fourteenth week.
The company, however, witnessed strong growth in the Asia-Pacific and Japan revenue at 10%, including 15% growth from China, while that from Europe, West Asia and Africa (EMEA) increased 8% in the quarter.
Revenues from India grew 3% in the reported quarter, while for FY12, the growth rate stood at 13%.
Revenue in Brazil, Russia, India and China (Bric) region increased 10% in the quarter and 15% for the fiscal year.
The revenue from Americas was down 3%, while revenue in growth countries (those outside the US, Canada, Western Europe and Japan) increased 8% in the quarter and 12% for the fiscal year.
Cash flow from operations in the reported quarter was $1.8 billion, and Dell ended Q4 with $18.2 billion in cash and investments, the statement said.