Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) stock fell more than 6% on Thursday, underperforming a stronger broader market, after a brokerage downgrade raised concerns about its valuation.
GF Securities downgraded Dell to Hold from Buy on Wednesday, citing valuation concerns following the stock’s sharp rally. The downgrade came as Piper Sandler analyst James Fish reiterated an Overweight rating and maintained a $497 price forecast.
AI Market Trends and Analyst Commentary
Fish said Micron’s latest earnings and supply-demand commentary point to continued strength in AI infrastructure spending. The analyst noted that persistent memory supply constraints, accelerating AI server demand, and higher server shipment expectations support Dell’s outlook, along with other AI infrastructure names.
The pullback also comes after a strong run. Dell shares have gained more than 235% over the past 12 months, prompting some investors to lock in profits.
The broader market remained supportive. The Nasdaq gained 0.45%, while the S&P 500 added 0.19%. The Technology sector also traded modestly higher, suggesting Dell’s decline was driven by company-specific factors rather than broader market weakness.
Technical Analysis
Dell is trading just below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) of $407.12, indicating that near-term momentum has weakened after months of strong gains.
However, the longer-term trend remains intact. The stock is still 34.5% above its 50-day SMA, 80.7% above its 100-day SMA and 125.8% above its 200-day SMA.
Momentum indicators have cooled. The moving average convergence divergence (MACD) remains below its signal line, with a negative histogram, suggesting buying pressure has eased in the short term.
The stock continues to trade above its longer-term moving averages, and the “golden cross” formed in March remains in place. However, after reaching a fresh 52-week high in June, Dell could face additional profit-taking if buyers fail to defend current levels.
Key resistance stands near $469.50, while initial support is around $357.00.
Earnings and Analyst Outlook
Dell is expected to report fiscal second-quarter results on Aug. 27, 2026.
Wall Street expects earnings of $4.83 per share, up from $2.32 a year earlier, on revenue of $44.47 billion, compared with $29.78 billion in the prior-year quarter.
The stock trades at about 34.6 times forward earnings, reflecting a premium valuation.
Analysts maintain an overall Buy consensus with an average price forecast of $472.06. Recent analyst actions include:
- Piper Sandler: Overweight, maintained $497 price forecast (June 24)
- GF Securities: Downgraded to Hold from Buy (June 24)
- Morgan Stanley: Equal-Weight, raised price forecast to $477 (June 23)
- Goldman Sachs: Buy, raised price forecast to $500 (June 1)
- Mizuho: Outperform, raised price forecast to $500 (June 1)
Benzinga Edge Rankings
Dell continues to score highly on momentum despite Thursday’s decline.
Its Momentum score stands at 98.77, reflecting the stock’s strong long-term uptrend. Growth is rated 61.43, while Value scores 25.42, indicating investors continue to assign a premium valuation to the shares.
ETF Exposure
Dell remains a significant holding in several exchange-traded funds, including:
- VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF (NASDAQ:VFLO): 4.15% weight
- Tortoise AI Infrastructure ETF (NYSE:TCAI): 5.53% weight
- GraniteShares 2x Long DELL Daily ETF (NASDAQ:DLLL): 66.69% weight
Large inflows or outflows in these funds can influence trading activity in Dell shares.
Price Action
DELL Stock Price Activity: Dell Technologies shares were down 6.35% at $406.50 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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