TECHNOLOGY - Aug. 18, 1993

H-P Profits Disappointing; Dell Posts Loss: Hewlett-Packard Co. posted a 44% jump in quarterly earnings, but the results at the nation’s No. 2 computer company were considered disappointing nonetheless. The Palo Alto-based company said net income rose to $271 million, or $1.06 a share, for its third quarter, compared to $188 million, or 75 cents a share, a year earlier. Dell Computer Corp., which is struggling to regain its luster, suffered a new blow in the form of its first quarterly loss. Dell posted a loss for its fiscal second quarter of $75.7 million, or $2.03 per share, including a $71-million charge, contrasted with a profit of $21.9 million, or 57 cents a share, in the second quarter last year.