Boeing vs Dell: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Boeing reported $89.5B of revenue in FY2025 and $2.2B of net income. Dell reported $113.5B of revenue in FY2026 and $5.9B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Boeing
Boeing went from record revenue of $101.1 billion and a $10.5 billion profit in 2018 to six straight years of losses after the 737 MAX grounding, the pandemic, the 2024 door-plug blowout and a 53-day machinists' strike. The 2024 loss alone was $11.8 billion. To protect its investment-grade rating, Boeing raised about $24 billion of equity in October 2024 and sold Jeppesen, ForeFlight and other digital aviation assets to Thoma Bravo for $10.55 billion in 2025. FY2025 revenue rose 34% to $89.5 billion and net earnings returned to $2.2 billion, but that profit came from the $9.6 billion sale gain; Commercial Airplanes still lost $7.1 billion. In the first half of 2026 revenue rose 11% to $46.8 billion, the net loss narrowed to $435 million, and consolidated debt fell to $45.9 billion from $54.1 billion at the end of 2025.
Dell
Dell's fiscal year ends in late January or early February. Revenue fell from $102.3 billion in fiscal 2023 to $88.4 billion in fiscal 2024 as post-pandemic PC demand faded, then recovered to $95.6 billion in fiscal 2025 and a record $113.5 billion in fiscal 2026, when net income reached $5.94 billion, operating cash flow topped $11 billion and $7.5 billion was returned to shareholders. Fiscal 2027 has accelerated: Q1 revenue was $43.8 billion (up 88%) and Q2 revenue was $47.0 billion (up 58%), with Q2 diluted EPS of $6.34. In September 2026 Dell raised full-year fiscal 2027 guidance to about $192 billion in revenue and $25.50 in non-GAAP EPS. The balance sheet still carries debt from the 2016 EMC deal, though leverage has fallen through the VMware spin-off and cash generation.
Revenue and profit by year
Boeing
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $89.5B | $2.2B | 2.5% | +34.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | $66.5B | -$11.8B | -17.8% | -14.5% | Source |
| FY2023 | $77.8B | -$2.2B | -2.9% | +16.8% | Source |
| FY2022 | $66.6B | -$4.9B | -7.4% | +6.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | $62.3B | -$4.2B | -6.7% | +7.1% | Source |
| FY2020 | $58.2B | -$11.9B | -20.4% | -24.0% | Source |
| FY2019 | $76.6B | -$636M | -0.8% | -24.3% | Source |
| FY2018 | $101.1B | $10.5B | 10.3% | +7.6% | Source |
| FY2017 | $94B | $8.5B | 9.0% | +0.5% | Source |
| FY2016 | $93.5B | $5B | 5.4% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Boeing
- Commercial Airplanes
46% ($41.5B in 2025)
737 MAX, 767, 777/777X and 787 sales to airlines and lessors; revenue is recognized mostly at delivery, and the segment lost $7.1B from operations in 2025.
- Defense, Space & Security
30% ($27.2B in 2025)
Military aircraft, weapons, satellites and space systems for the U.S. government and allies, with a record $85B backlog at the end of 2025.
- Global Services
23% ($20.9B in 2025)
Parts, maintenance, modifications and training for commercial and government fleets; Boeing's most profitable segment.
Dell
- Client SolutionsMajor
Revenue from commercial and consumer PCs, workstations, peripherals, and related support.
- Infrastructure SolutionsMajor
Revenue from servers, storage, networking, AI infrastructure, and data-center systems.
- Services, Support, and Financing
Supporting
Revenue from warranties, support contracts, deployment, managed services, and financing tied to hardware and infrastructure sales.
Business model and strategy
Boeing
How it makes money
Boeing earns money in three segments. Commercial Airplanes (BCA) designs, builds and sells the 737, 767, 777 and 787. Airlines and lessors pay deposits and progress payments over several years, but most of the price arrives at delivery, so revenue moves with delivery volume.
Growth strategy
Under Kelly Ortberg the plan is to stabilize first and grow second. Boeing runs a Safety & Quality Plan with key performance indicators for each factory and raises 737 and 787 rates only when those metrics and the FAA allow it.
Competitive advantage
Boeing's advantages are hard to copy: a century of certification know-how, a global installed fleet that keeps buying parts and services, and a backlog of more than 6,200 commercial airplanes worth $597 billion at June 30, 2026. Only Airbus builds comparable large jets, and with both makers sold out for years, airlines that need aircraft this decade order from both. In defense, Boeing now holds both U.S.
Dell
How it makes money
Dell makes money by selling hardware plus attached services and financing. The Infrastructure Solutions Group sells AI-optimized servers built around Nvidia (and some AMD) accelerators, traditional PowerEdge servers, networking and storage to enterprises, cloud service providers and governments; in Q2 fiscal 2027 ISG produced $31.8 billion of revenue and $4.8 billion of operating income.
Growth strategy
Dell's growth strategy has three parts. First, win AI infrastructure share by shipping GPU-dense, liquid-cooled rack systems (PowerEdge XE servers with Nvidia Blackwell-generation GPUs) to neoclouds, sovereign AI programs and large enterprises, packaged as the Dell AI Factory.
Competitive advantage
Dell's edge is breadth and scale in enterprise relationships. It can sell a customer everything from 10,000 laptops to a liquid-cooled GPU cluster with storage, networking, deployment and financing under one contract, and support it worldwide.
Questions about Boeing vs Dell
Which company has higher revenue — The Boeing Company or Dell Technologies Inc.?
The Boeing Company reported $89.5B (FY2025), while Dell Technologies Inc. reported $113.5B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Dell Technologies Inc. is the larger business, with The Boeing Company reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of The Boeing Company vs Dell Technologies Inc.?
The Boeing Company's market capitalisation stands at $148.0B, while Dell Technologies Inc.'s is $360.0B. Dell Technologies Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to The Boeing Company.
Which is more financially efficient — The Boeing Company or Dell Technologies Inc.?
The Boeing Company generates $492k / employee in revenue per employee, while Dell Technologies Inc. generates $1.17M / employee. Dell Technologies Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do The Boeing Company and Dell Technologies Inc. make money?
The Boeing Company and Dell Technologies Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. The Boeing Company: Boeing earns money in three segments. Dell Technologies Inc.: Dell makes money by selling hardware plus attached services and financing.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — The Boeing Company or Dell Technologies Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, The Boeing Company trades at 1.7x P/S and Dell Technologies Inc. at 3.2x P/S. Dell Technologies Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to The Boeing Company. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is The Boeing Company bigger than Dell Technologies Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Dell Technologies Inc. ($113.5B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to The Boeing Company ($89.5B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Boeing vs Dell overview