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Why HP Inc (HPQ) Deserves a Place in Your Portfolio Now
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HP Inc. (HPQ - Free Report) is one of the two companies which came into existence post the split from the parent company – Hewlett-Packard Company – in Nov 2015. The stock has been clocking solid returns since then and gained approximately 28.9%, outperforming the Zacks categorized Computer-Mini industry’s return of 19.4% during the same time frame. The major part of the rally has been witnessed this year. In the year, so far, the stock has gained 20%.
The other company which came into existence after the split is Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE - Free Report) .
What’s Driving the Stock?
Post the split, HP adopted a strategy of focusing on product innovation and differentiation, as well as on enhancing the capabilities of its printing business, which will help stabilize the top line.
Over the past one year, the company launched various models under its PC product lines of EliteBook, Spectre and Pavilion Wave. The impact of these launches was reflected clearly in the company’s last four earnings releases, wherein the Personal Systems segment witnessed year-over-year improvement after several quarters. Keeping the trend alive, at the CES 2017, HP unveiled Spectre 13 – the thinnest and most powerful iteration of laptops – anticipated to enhance web experience and provide high-quality visuals.
The company’s efforts to revamp the printing business have also been commendable. It should be noted that HP had signed a deal to acquire Samsung Electronics’ printer business in 2016, for $1.05 billion. The acquisition is a strategic fit for HP as it will expand the company’s printing business, with the addition of 6,500-plus printing patents owned by Samsung.
In addition, the company is now focusing on boosting its 3D printing business capabilities. However, unlike 3D Systems (DDD - Free Report) and Stratasys (SSYS - Free Report) , which target all kinds of consumers, HP is emphasizing only on industrial markets because of their ability to afford a premium range of 3D printing solutions. It should be noted that even though HP has been operating in this space for almost five years now, it still lags behind 3D Systems and Stratasys.
On the cost front too, HP has taken remarkable steps, which include the divestment of its content management software tools and Customer Communications Management (CCM) assets to Open Text Corporation and elimination of around 3,000–4,000 jobs.
The company expects the divestment of CCM to reduce cost and enhance productivity. This, in turn, would help the company to enhance its profitability. The job cuts are anticipated to generate annualized cost savings of approximately $200–$300 million from fiscal 2020.
Bottom Line
We believe that HP’s massive restructuring moves will complement its focus on core businesses, and enable it to expand its share in the PC and Printing market. Furthermore, per the latest reports of two independent research firms – Gartner Inc. and International Data Corporation – the downtrend in PC shipments became rather modest in first-quarter 2017 compared with the previous quarters. Therefore, we believe an improving trend in PC shipments will benefit the business prospects of companies like HP Inc.
Furthermore, HP has a VGM Style Score of “A”. We note that our VGM score highlights the determining elements in a stock that can push the stock price higher. We can essentially filter out the negatives and focus on the positives which drive price.
While we share many recommendations and ideas with the public, certain moves are hidden from everyone but selected members of our portfolio services. Would you like to peek behind the curtain today and view them?
Starting now, for the next month, I invite you to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time from value to momentum...from stocks under $10 to ETF to option movers...from insider trades to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises (we've called them with 80%+ accuracy). You can even look inside portfolios so exclusive that they are normally closed to new investors.
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Why HP Inc (HPQ) Deserves a Place in Your Portfolio Now
HP Inc. (HPQ - Free Report) is one of the two companies which came into existence post the split from the parent company – Hewlett-Packard Company – in Nov 2015. The stock has been clocking solid returns since then and gained approximately 28.9%, outperforming the Zacks categorized Computer-Mini industry’s return of 19.4% during the same time frame. The major part of the rally has been witnessed this year. In the year, so far, the stock has gained 20%.
The other company which came into existence after the split is Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE - Free Report) .
What’s Driving the Stock?
Post the split, HP adopted a strategy of focusing on product innovation and differentiation, as well as on enhancing the capabilities of its printing business, which will help stabilize the top line.
Over the past one year, the company launched various models under its PC product lines of EliteBook, Spectre and Pavilion Wave. The impact of these launches was reflected clearly in the company’s last four earnings releases, wherein the Personal Systems segment witnessed year-over-year improvement after several quarters. Keeping the trend alive, at the CES 2017, HP unveiled Spectre 13 – the thinnest and most powerful iteration of laptops – anticipated to enhance web experience and provide high-quality visuals.
The company’s efforts to revamp the printing business have also been commendable. It should be noted that HP had signed a deal to acquire Samsung Electronics’ printer business in 2016, for $1.05 billion. The acquisition is a strategic fit for HP as it will expand the company’s printing business, with the addition of 6,500-plus printing patents owned by Samsung.
In addition, the company is now focusing on boosting its 3D printing business capabilities. However, unlike 3D Systems (DDD - Free Report) and Stratasys (SSYS - Free Report) , which target all kinds of consumers, HP is emphasizing only on industrial markets because of their ability to afford a premium range of 3D printing solutions. It should be noted that even though HP has been operating in this space for almost five years now, it still lags behind 3D Systems and Stratasys.
On the cost front too, HP has taken remarkable steps, which include the divestment of its content management software tools and Customer Communications Management (CCM) assets to Open Text Corporation and elimination of around 3,000–4,000 jobs.
The company expects the divestment of CCM to reduce cost and enhance productivity. This, in turn, would help the company to enhance its profitability. The job cuts are anticipated to generate annualized cost savings of approximately $200–$300 million from fiscal 2020.
Bottom Line
We believe that HP’s massive restructuring moves will complement its focus on core businesses, and enable it to expand its share in the PC and Printing market. Furthermore, per the latest reports of two independent research firms – Gartner Inc. and International Data Corporation – the downtrend in PC shipments became rather modest in first-quarter 2017 compared with the previous quarters. Therefore, we believe an improving trend in PC shipments will benefit the business prospects of companies like HP Inc.
Furthermore, HP has a VGM Style Score of “A”. We note that our VGM score highlights the determining elements in a stock that can push the stock price higher. We can essentially filter out the negatives and focus on the positives which drive price.
Therefore, in our opinion, the stock deserves a place in investor’s portfolio. Currently, HP carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Zacks' Hidden Trades
While we share many recommendations and ideas with the public, certain moves are hidden from everyone but selected members of our portfolio services. Would you like to peek behind the curtain today and view them?
Starting now, for the next month, I invite you to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time from value to momentum...from stocks under $10 to ETF to option movers...from insider trades to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises (we've called them with 80%+ accuracy). You can even look inside portfolios so exclusive that they are normally closed to new investors.
Click here for Zacks' secret trade>>