brian, and sonny: if u really want hwp....today is the day....
HEWLETT-PACKARD CO. (HWP) 63 +1 3/8. Shares of diversified computer maker and services concern are trading higher today on positives views going into this
evening fiscal 4Q release. For the most part, market sentiment is constructive that HP will not have a problem matching Wall Street expectations for the last quarter
of its fiscal year, unlike the past two quarters when it missed Wall Street expectations by five cents in the 2Q and ten cents in the 3Q. According to First Call, the company
is projected to have earned $0.77 a share, versus year-ago net of $0.62 a share. After a horrendous second half performance in its fiscal 1996, when earnings growth
fell below sequential and year-ago performance, the company has started to show signs of a sales revival, although earnings continue to miss the mark. Sales have
continue to expand at a 22% annual rate, in keeping with five-year trend, while earnings have not kept pace, only growing in single digits, at less than a third of the pace
for the past five years. Much of this was expected, as the company warned last year that for the time being earnings growth would be sub-par. But even so, the company
has negatively surprised the past two quarters, making today's price gain ahead of its earnin |
