HP Reports Third Quarter 2009 Results

HP (NYSE: HPQ) today announced financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2009, with net revenue of $27.5 billion, down 2% from a year earlier and up 4% when adjusted for the effects of currency.

In the third quarter, GAAP operating profit was $2.2 billion and GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.67, down from $0.80 in the prior-year period. Non-GAAP operating profit was $3.0 billion, with non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.91, up from $0.86 in the prior-year period. Non-GAAP financial information excludes $568 million of adjustments on an after-tax basis, or $0.24 per diluted share, related primarily to amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

“HP’s performance this quarter is a result of our strong business portfolio, efficient cost structure and scale. We made positive gains in extending our market leadership in key segments and strengthening our competitive position,” said Mark Hurd, HP chairman and chief executive officer. “Business is stabilizing, and we are confident that HP will be an early beneficiary of an economic turnaround and will continue to outperform when conditions improve.”

Information about HP’s use of non-GAAP financial information is provided under “Use of non-GAAP financial information” below. Unless otherwise noted, all growth rates reflect year-over-year comparisons.

“Record profit in Services, double-digit revenue growth in China, and solid cash flow demonstrate HP’s ability to execute,” said Cathie Lesjak, HP executive vice president and chief financial officer. “We are investing for the future and executing operational efficiencies with the goal of driving long-term, profitable growth.”

Revenue grew 8% in the Americas to $12.6 billion. Revenue declined 12% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 4% in Asia Pacific to $9.9 billion and $5.0 billion, respectively. When adjusted for the effects of currency, revenue grew 11% in the Americas while declining 2% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa while Asia Pacific was flat. Revenue from outside of the United States in the third quarter accounted for 62% of total revenue, with revenue in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) declining 6% over the prior-year period while accounting for 10% of total HP revenue.

Services

Services revenue increased 93% to $8.5 billion due primarily to the EDS acquisition. Infrastructure Technology Outsourcing posted revenue of $3.9 billion while Technology Services, Application Services and Business Process Outsourcing posted revenue of $2.4 billion, $1.4 billion and $711 million, respectively. Operating profit was $1.3 billion, or 15.2% of revenue, up from $567 million, or 12.9% of revenue, in the prior-year period. The EDS integration is tracking ahead of plan.

Enterprise Storage and Servers

Enterprise Storage and Servers (ESS) reported total revenue of $3.7 billion, down 23%. Storage revenue declined 21%, with the midrange EVA product line down 23%. Industry Standard Server revenue declined 21% and Business Critical Systems revenue declined 30%, while ESS blade revenue was down 14%. Operating profit was $356 million, or 9.7% of revenue, down from $544 million, or 11.5% of revenue, in the prior-year period.

HP Software

HP Software revenue declined 22% to $847 million. Business Technology Optimization declined 22%, and Other Software revenue declined 23%. Operating profit was $153 million, or 18.1% of revenue, up from $135 million, or 12.4% of revenue, in the prior-year period.

Personal Systems Group

Personal Systems Group (PSG) posted an increase of unit shipments of 2% and maintained the leading market position in PCs worldwide. PSG revenue declined 18% to $8.4 billion. Notebook revenue for the quarter was down 10%, while Desktop revenue declined 26%. Commercial client revenue was down 22%, while Consumer client revenue decreased 13%. Operating profit was $386 million, or 4.6% of revenue, down from $587 million, or 5.7% of revenue, in the prior-year period.

Imaging and Printing Group

Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) revenue declined 20% to $5.7 billion. Supplies revenue was down 13% due in part to continued channel inventory realignment, while Commercial hardware revenue and Consumer hardware revenue declined 37% and 21%, respectively. Printer unit shipments decreased 23%, with Commercial printer hardware units down 42% and Consumer printer hardware units down 16%. Operating profit was $960 million, or 17.0% of revenue, versus $1.0 billion, or 14.8% of revenue, in the prior-year period.

HP Financial Services

HP Financial Services (HPFS) reported revenue of $670 million, down 1% from the prior-year period. Financing volume increased 12%, and net portfolio assets increased 6%. Operating margin was 7.9% of revenue, up from 7.5% in the prior-year period.

Asset management

HP generated $3.9 billion in cash flow from operations for the third quarter. Inventory ended the quarter at $5.9 billion, down 10 days. Accounts receivable of $14.7 billion was up 4 days. Accounts payable ended the quarter at $12.8 billion, down 7 days. HP’s dividend payment of $0.08 per share in the third quarter resulted in cash usage of $191 million. HP utilized $999 million of cash during the third quarter to repurchase approximately 28 million shares of common stock in the open market. HP exited the quarter with $13.7 billion in gross cash.

Outlook

HP expects fourth quarter FY09 revenue to be up approximately 8% sequentially. Fourth quarter FY09 non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be approximately $1.12. Fourth quarter FY09 non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs of approximately $0.15 per share, related primarily to the amortization of purchased intangibles, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges. On a GAAP basis, fourth quarter FY09 diluted EPS is expected to be approximately $0.97.

For the full year 2009, HP expects revenue and earnings to be in-line with the mid-point of the outlook range provided on May 19, 2009.

More information on HP’s quarterly earnings, including additional financial analysis and an earnings overview presentation, is available on HP’s Investor Relations website at www.hp.com/investor/home.

HP’s Q3 FY09 earnings conference call is accessible via an audio webcast at www.hp.com/investor/q32009webcast.

About HP

HP, the world’s largest technology company, simplifies the technology experience for consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com/.

Use of non-GAAP financial information

To supplement HP’s consolidated condensed financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, HP provides non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and gross cash. HP also provides forecasts of non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. A reconciliation of the adjustments to GAAP results for this quarter and prior periods is included in the tables below. In addition, an explanation of the ways in which HP management uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate its business, the substance behind HP management’s decision to use these non-GAAP measures, the material limitations associated with the use of these non-GAAP measures, the manner in which HP management compensates for those limitations, and the substantive reasons why HP management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors is included under “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” after the tables below. This additional non-GAAP financial information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for operating profit, operating margin, net earnings, diluted earnings per share, or cash and cash equivalents prepared in accordance with GAAP.

EDS acquisition

HP completed its acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corporation on August 26, 2008. Results of, and comparisons to, the three and nine months ended July 31, 2008 do not include the results of operations of EDS for those prior periods.

Forward-looking statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If the risks or uncertainties ever materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to any projections of revenue, margins, expenses, earnings, tax provisions, cash flows, benefit obligations, share repurchases, acquisition synergies, currency exchange rates or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations, including execution of cost reduction programs and restructuring and integration plans; any statements concerning the expected development, performance or market share relating to products or services; any statements regarding current or future macroeconomic trends or events and the impact of those trends and events on HP and its financial performance; any statements regarding pending investigations, claims or disputes; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; execution and performance of contracts by HP and its suppliers, customers and partners; the challenge of managing asset levels, including inventory; the difficulty of aligning expense levels with revenue changes; assumptions related to pension and other post-retirement costs; expectations and assumptions relating to the execution and timing of cost reduction programs and restructuring and integration plans; the possibility that the expected benefits of business combination transactions may not materialize as expected; the resolution of pending investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described in HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2009. As in prior periods, the financial information set forth in this release, including tax-related items, reflects estimates based on information available at this time. While HP believes these estimates to be meaningful, these amounts could differ materially from actual reported amounts in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2009. In particular, determining HP’s actual tax balances and provisions as of July 31, 2009 requires extensive internal and external review of tax data (including consolidating and reviewing the tax provisions of numerous domestic and foreign entities), which is being completed in the ordinary course of preparing HP’s Form 10-Q. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

Note to editors: More news from HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/.

© 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement HP’s consolidated condensed financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, HP provides non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and gross cash. HP also provides forecasts of non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. These non-GAAP financial measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative for, generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The GAAP measure most directly comparable to non-GAAP operating profit is earnings from operations. The GAAP measure most directly comparable to non-GAAP operating margin is operating margin. The GAAP measure most directly comparable to non-GAAP net earnings is net earnings. The GAAP measure most directly comparable to non-GAAP diluted earnings per share is diluted net earnings per share. The GAAP measure most directly comparable to gross cash is cash and cash equivalents. Reconciliations of each of these non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP information are included in the tables above.

Use and Economic Substance of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Used by HP

Non-GAAP operating profit and non-GAAP operating margin are defined to exclude the effects of any restructuring charges, charges relating to the amortization of purchased intangible assets, acquisition-related charges and in-process research and development charges recorded during the relevant period. Non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share consist of net earnings or diluted net earnings per share excluding those same charges. In addition, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share are adjusted by the amount of additional taxes or tax benefit associated with each non-GAAP item. HP’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures for purposes of evaluating HP’s historical and prospective financial performance, as well as HP’s performance relative to its competitors. HP’s management also uses these non-GAAP measures to further its own understanding of HP’s segment operating performance. HP believes that excluding those items mentioned above from these non-GAAP financial measures allows HP management to better understand HP’s consolidated financial performance in relationship to the operating results of HP’s segments, as management does not believe that the excluded items are reflective of ongoing operating results. More specifically, HP’s management excludes each of those items mentioned above for the following reasons:

• Restructuring charges consist of costs primarily related to severance and benefits for employees terminated pursuant to a formal restructuring plan, including strategic reallocations or workforce reductions and early retirement programs. HP excludes these restructuring costs (and any reversals of charges recorded in prior periods) for purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures because it believes that these historical costs do not reflect expected future operating expenses and do not contribute to a meaningful evaluation of HP’s current operating performance or comparisons to HP’s past operating performance.
• Purchased intangible assets consist primarily of customer contracts, customer lists, distribution agreements, technology patents, and products, trademarks and trade names purchased in connection with acquisitions. HP incurs charges relating to the amortization of these intangibles, and those charges are included in HP’s GAAP presentation of earnings from operations, operating margin, net earnings and net earnings per share. Amortization charges for HP’s purchased intangible assets are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing and magnitude of HP’s acquisitions. Consequently, HP excludes these charges for purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures to facilitate a more meaningful evaluation of HP’s current operating performance and comparisons to HP’s past operating performance.
• In-process research and development charges relate to amounts assigned to tangible and intangible assets to be used in research and development projects that have no alternative future use and therefore are charged to expense at the acquisition date. Charges for in-process research and development in connection with HP’s acquisitions are reflected in HP’s GAAP presentation of earnings from operations, operating margin, net earnings and net earnings per share. In-process research and development expenses are not indicative of HP’s ongoing operating costs and are generally unpredictable. Accordingly, HP believes that eliminating these expenses for purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures contributes to a meaningful evaluation of HP’s current operating performance and comparisons to HP’s past operating performance.
• Beginning in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, HP incurred costs related to its acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corporation (“EDS”), some of which were treated as non-capitalized expenses. Because non-capitalized, acquisition-related expenses are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing and nature of HP’s acquisitions, HP believes that eliminating the non-capitalized expenses relating to the EDS acquisition for purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures facilitates a more meaningful evaluation of HP’s current operating performance and comparisons to HP’s past operating performance.

Gross cash is a non-GAAP measure that is defined as cash and cash equivalents plus short-term investments and certain long-term investments that may be liquidated within 90 days pursuant to the terms of existing put options or similar rights. HP’s management uses gross cash for the purpose of determining the amount of cash available for investment in HP’s businesses, funding strategic acquisitions, repurchasing stock and other purposes. HP’s management also uses gross cash for the purposes of evaluating HP’s historical and prospective liquidity, as well as to further its own understanding of HP’s segment operating results. Because gross cash includes liquid assets that are not included in GAAP cash and cash equivalents, HP believes that gross cash provides a more accurate and complete assessment of HP’s liquidity and segment operating results.

Material Limitations Associated with Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

These non-GAAP financial measures may have limitations as analytical tools, and these measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of HP’s results as reported under GAAP. Some of the limitations in relying on these non-GAAP financial measures are:

• Items such as amortization of purchased intangible assets, though not directly affecting HP’s cash position, represent the loss in value of intangible assets over time. The expense associated with this loss in value is not included in non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and therefore does not reflect the full economic effect of the loss in value of those intangible assets.
• Items such as restructuring charges that are excluded from non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share can have a material impact on cash flows and earnings per share.
• HP may not be able to liquidate immediately the long-term investments included in gross cash, which may limit the usefulness of gross cash as a liquidity measure.
• Other companies may calculate non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and gross cash differently than HP does, limiting the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes.

Compensation for Limitations Associated with Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

HP compensates for the limitations on its use of non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and gross cash by relying primarily on its GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures only supplementally. HP also provides robust and detailed reconciliations of each non-GAAP financial measure to its most directly comparable GAAP measure within this press release and in other written materials that include these non-GAAP financial measures, and HP encourages investors to review carefully those reconciliations.

Usefulness of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to Investors

HP believes that providing non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and gross cash to investors in addition to the related GAAP measures provides investors with greater transparency to the information used by HP’s management in its financial and operational decision-making and allows investors to see HP’s results “through the eyes” of management. HP further believes that providing this information better enables HP’s investors to understand HP’s operating performance and to evaluate the efficacy of the methodology and information used by management to evaluate and measure such performance. Disclosure of these non-GAAP financial measures also facilitates comparisons of HP’s operating performance with the performance of other companies in HP’s industry that supplement their GAAP results with non-GAAP financial measures that are calculated in a similar manner.