Digital Profit Rises 90%

Digital Equipment Corp. reported another powerful profit gain Wednesday, posting a 98% increase in quarterly profit and a 22% gain in revenue.

The big computer maker said it earned $269.96 million in its second quarter, ended Dec. 27, up from $136.1 million for the same quarter a year earlier.

Revenue totaled $2.27 billion compared to $1.86 billion a year earlier.

“DEC has been on a roll for 18 months,” said analyst John Levinson of Goldman, Sachs & Co. “They have newer, faster, cheaper offerings and better networking,” he said.

For the six months ended Dec. 27, the Maynard, Mass.-based high technology firm reported income of $452.6 million, an increase of 117% over the $208.4 million it reported for the comparable period the year before.

Revenue for the half year reached $4.31 billion, up 24% from $3.49 billion a year earlier.

Digital President Kenneth H. Olsen attributed the strong performance for the quarter to “continued market recognition that Digital delivers the software solutions to solve today’s critical business problems.”

“During the quarter, Digital experienced a high level of demand from both international and U.S. customers. Mid-range and larger VAX computers did particularly well,” he said in a statement.

“In addition, Digital has continued to gain market share in computer-intensive markets such as financial services and telecommunications,” he said.