Dell Boosts Forecast but Sees No Rebound

Dell Computer Corp., the world’s largest personal-computer maker, toned down its optimism for a rebound in PC sales in the second half of this year.

“We haven’t seen any signs of an uptick,” Chief Operating Officer Kevin Rollins said at an analyst meeting in New York.

Dell increased its fiscal first-quarter sales forecast to $7.9 billion Wednesday and reiterated earnings of 16 cents a share.

Dell is performing well in a bad market compared with rivals because it’s taking business away from them, analysts said. PC unit shipments declined last year for the first time since 1985.

Shares of the Texas-based company rose 56 cents to $26.75 on Nasdaq.