Chipmaker Intel reported a 25% increase in quarterly profit today, helped by strong sales of microprocessors used in notebook computers, and gave a revenue forecast that topped expectations. However, its second-quarter gross margin disappointed some analysts as the company said higher demand for cheaper laptops led to a lower-than-expected average microprocessor selling price. "The concern on the Street was that demand may be falling off the cliff. We"ve seen that in the handset market. So at least as Intel"s results and outlook goes, we"re not seeing similar weakness in the PC market," said CRT Capital Group analyst Ashok Kumar.
Intel"s second-quarter net income rose to $1.60 billion, or 28 cents per share, from $1.28 billion, or 22 cents per share, a year ago. That beat the average Wall Street estimate for a profit of 26 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates. Revenue rose to $9.47 billion from $8.68 billion, whereas analysts had expected $9.32 billion on average.