HP (NYSE:HPQ) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

HP (NYSE:HPQ) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Evercore set a $32.00 target price on HP in a report on Monday, August 24th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of HP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of HP from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of HP in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of HP from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $25.42.

HP Price Performance

HP stock opened at $28.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $25.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $31.73 and its 200 day moving average is $24.54. HP has a one year low of $17.56 and a one year high of $36.22.

HP (NYSE:HPQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The computer maker reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.17. HP had a net margin of 4.14% and a negative return on equity of 947.78%. The firm had revenue of $15.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. HP has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.190-3.290 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.690-0.790 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that HP will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HP news, insider Anneliese Olson sold 18,997 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.56, for a total transaction of $618,542.32. Following the transaction, the insider owned 169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,502.64. This represents a 99.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider David P. Mcquarrie sold 31,572 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.12, for a total transaction of $1,014,092.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,008 shares in the company, valued at $257,216.96. This trade represents a 79.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 82,141 shares of company stock worth $2,557,063. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HP

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in HP by 38.0% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 54,648 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 15,040 shares in the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC raised its holdings in HP by 1.2% in the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 123,067 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $3,850,000 after buying an additional 1,442 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in HP by 66.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,554 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 1,417 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of HP by 122.9% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,917 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 1,057 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of HP by 22.7% in the third quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 75,369 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $2,358,000 after buying an additional 13,929 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.53% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about HP

Here are the key news stories impacting HP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HP’s lower valuation relative to Apple, along with continued adoption of AI-enabled PCs and demand for premium commercial devices, supports the stock’s long-term investment case. HPQ vs. AAPL: Which Computer Stock Offers Better Investment Potential?
• Positive Sentiment: HP previously exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.83 in adjusted earnings per share versus a $0.66 consensus estimate and $15.68 billion in revenue, up 12.5% year over year. This provides some fundamental support, although investors are focused more heavily on forward PC demand. HP Inc. earnings preview: What to expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider Anneliese Olson sold approximately $618,542 of HP stock to cover tax withholding tied to vested equity awards. Because the sale was described as tax-related rather than discretionary, it is a limited signal about management’s outlook. Insider Selling: HP Insider Sells $618,542.32 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Intel’s warning that memory shortages are constraining PC demand triggered selling across computer and server makers, including HP. Investors fear tighter component availability, weaker PC shipments and margin pressure could weigh on HP’s upcoming results. Dell Sinks as Intel’s Warning Hits Hardware Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Intel’s weak guidance and margin concerns reinforced fears of a broader PC-market downturn, increasing pressure on HP’s consumer-computing business and near-term earnings outlook. Silicon Shock: Intel’s 25% Valuation Reset
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded HP from “strong buy” to “hold,” adding to the cautious tone surrounding the stock. Broader analyst sentiment remains restrained, with concerns about slowing PC demand despite HP’s inexpensive valuation. Zacks Research stock recommendations

HP Company Profile

HP Inc (NYSE: HPQ) is a global technology company that develops personal computing and printing products, services, and solutions. Its portfolio includes laptops, desktop computers, workstations, monitors, peripherals, printers, digital printing systems, and related supplies such as ink and toner.

The company serves consumers, small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises, and public-sector organizations through direct sales, online channels, retailers, distributors, and other business partners.