Reuters Better cost controls helped Dell Technologies Inc beat estimates for firstquarter profit on Thursday, a positive sign for personal computer makers after months of cratering demand.

The results contrasted rivals HP Inc and Lenovo Group, but a full recovery remains some ways off as Dell forecast currentquarter revenue below Wall Street targets and warned that IT spending would stay cautious.

Shares of the company were down 2 after the bell, reversing gains of 5. The stock was briefly halted during regular trading hours when the company announced results earlier than scheduled.

We maintained pricing discipline, reduced operating expenses, and our supply chain continued to perform well after normalizing ahead of competitors, said Chuck Whitten, cochief operating officer of Dell.

Total operating expenses fell 6 to 3.57 billion during the first quarter.

The company39;s revenue dropped 20 to 20.92 billion, but came in above analysts39; expectations of 20.27 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

Demand for desktops and laptops slumped after a pandemicdriven rush for workfromhome equipment, leading to a pileup in inventory amid an uncertain economic outlook.

Dell39;s client solutions unit home to its consumer and enterprise PC business posted a 23 fall in sales, while the infrastructure solutions unit, which includes servers, storage devices and networking hardware, saw an 18 decline.

Excluding items, Dell earned 1.31 per share, compared with estimates of 86…