Cost cutting pays off for Dell; IT spending, demand ‘challenging’ — Dell’s third quarter was a mixed bag. Revenue was down amid weak demand, but earnings were better than expected. The outlook was “challenging” as expected. The company reported third quarter earnings of $727 million, or 37 cents a share, on revenue of $15.16 billion. The good news: Earnings handily topped estimates of 31 cents a share. [...]... [Tags: cost cutting, dell, estimates, quarter earnings]