HP Inc. Reports Fiscal 2024 Third Quarter Results

Net revenue and EPS results

HP Inc. and its subsidiaries (“HP”) announced fiscal 2024 third quarter net revenue of $13.5 billion, up 2% (up 3% in constant currency) from the prior-year period.
 
“We are pleased with our return to revenue growth and proud of the innovations delivered in the quarter, including the launch of our next-generation AI PC lineup” said Enrique Lores, President and CEO, HP Inc. “We remain focused on our strategic plan and will prioritize opportunities that drive long-term profitable growth, while taking decisive action to navigate a dynamic environment.”
 
Third quarter GAAP diluted net EPS was $0.65, down from $0.76 in the prior-year period and within the previously provided outlook of $0.63 to $0.77. Third quarter non-GAAP diluted net EPS was $0.83, down from $0.86 in the prior-year period and within the previously provided outlook of $0.78 to $0.92. Third quarter non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted net EPS excludes after-tax adjustments of $179 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, related to restructuring and other charges, acquisition and divestiture charges, amortization of intangible assets, non-operating retirement-related credits and tax adjustments.
 
Asset Management
HP's net cash provided by operating activities in the third quarter of fiscal 2024 was $1.4 billion. Accounts receivable ended the quarter at $4.7 billion, flat quarter over quarter at 31 days. Inventory ended the quarter at $7.8 billion, down 3 days quarter over quarter to 67 days. Accounts payable ended the quarter at $15.4 billion, down 1 day quarter over quarter to 131 days.
 
HP generated $1.3 billion of free cash flow in the third quarter. Free cash flow includes net cash provided by operating activities of $1.4 billion adjusted for net investments in leases from integrated financing of $42 million and net investments in property, plant and equipment of $162 million.
 
HP’s dividend payment of $0.2756 per share in the third quarter resulted in cash usage of $0.3 billion. HP also utilized $0.6 billion of cash during the quarter to repurchase approximately 17.1 million shares of common stock in the open market. HP exited the quarter with $2.9 billion in gross cash, which includes cash and cash equivalents of $2.8 billion, restricted cash of $93 million, and short-term investments of $3 million included in other current assets. Restricted cash relates to amounts collected and held on behalf of a third party for trade receivables previously sold.
 
Fiscal 2024 third quarter segment results

• Personal Systems net revenue was $9.4 billion, up 5% year over year (up 5% in constant currency) with a 6.4% operating margin. Consumer PS net revenue was down 1% and Commercial PS net revenue was up 8%. Total units were up 1% with Consumer PS units down 6% and Commercial PS units up 6%.
• Printing net revenue was $4.1 billion, down 3% year over year (down 2% in constant currency) with a 17.3% operating margin. Consumer Printing net revenue was up 2% and Commercial Printing net revenue was down 5%. Supplies net revenue was down 2% (down 1% in constant currency). Total hardware units were down 2%, with Consumer Printing units flat and Commercial Printing units down 4%. 

Share repurchase authorization
On August 27, 2024, HP's Board of Directors increased HP's share repurchase authorization to $10.0 billion in total.
 
Outlook
For the fiscal 2024 fourth quarter, HP estimates GAAP diluted net EPS to be in the range of $0.74 to $0.84 and non-GAAP diluted net EPS to be in the range of $0.89 to $0.99. Fiscal 2024 fourth quarter non-GAAP diluted net EPS estimates exclude $0.15 per diluted share, primarily related to restructuring and other charges, acquisition and divestiture charges, amortization of intangible assets, non-operating retirement-related credits, tax adjustments, debt extinguishment charges and the related tax impact on these items.
 
For fiscal 2024, HP estimates GAAP diluted net EPS to be in the range of $2.62 to $2.72 and non-GAAP diluted net EPS to be in the range of $3.35 to $3.45. Fiscal 2024 non-GAAP diluted net EPS estimates exclude $0.73 per diluted share, primarily related to restructuring and other charges, acquisition and divestiture charges, amortization of intangible assets, non-operating retirement-related credits, tax adjustments, debt extinguishment charges and the related tax impact on these items. For fiscal 2024, HP anticipates generating free cash flow in the range of $3.1 to $3.6 billion.
 
More information on HP's earnings, including additional financial analysis and an earnings overview presentation, is available on HP's Investor Relations website at investor.hp.com.
 
HP's FY24 Q3 earnings conference call is accessible via audio webcast at www.hp.com/investor/2024Q3Webcast.
 
Use of non-GAAP financial information
To supplement HP’s consolidated condensed financial statements presented on a generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) basis, HP provides net revenue on a constant currency basis, non-GAAP total operating expense, non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP other income and expenses, non-GAAP tax rate, non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted net EPS, free cash flow, gross cash and net cash (debt) financial measures. HP also provides forecasts of non-GAAP diluted net EPS and free cash flow. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the tables below or elsewhere in the materials accompanying this news release. In addition, an explanation of the ways in which HP’s management uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate its business, the substance behind HP’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’s management compensates for those limitations, and the substantive reasons why HP’s 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 net revenue, operating expense, operating profit, operating margin, other income and expenses, tax rate, net earnings, diluted net EPS, cash provided by operating activities or cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash prepared in accordance with GAAP.
 
Forward-looking statements
This document contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. If the risks or uncertainties ever materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, they could affect the business and results of operations of HP Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries which 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 statements regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; projections of net revenue, margins, expenses, effective tax rates, net earnings, net earnings per share, cash flows, benefit plan funding, deferred taxes, share repurchases, foreign currency exchange rates or other financial items; any projections of the amount, timing or impact of cost savings or restructuring and other charges, planned structural cost reductions and productivity initiatives; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, including, but not limited to, our business model and transformation, our sustainability goals, our go-to-market strategy, the execution of restructuring plans and any resulting cost savings (including the fiscal 2023 plan), net revenue or profitability improvements or other financial impacts; any statements concerning the expected development, demand, performance, market share or competitive performance relating to products or services; any statements concerning potential supply constraints, component shortages, manufacturing disruptions or logistics challenges; 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, disputes or other litigation matters; any statements of expectation or belief as to the timing and expected benefits of acquisitions and other business combination and investment transactions (including the acquisition of Plantronics, Inc. (“Poly”)); and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing.  Forward-looking statements can also generally be identified by words such as “future,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “can,” “may,” and similar terms.
 
Risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could affect our business and results of operations include factors relating  to the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical trends, changes and events, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tension across the Taiwan Strait, the Israel-Hamas conflict, other hostilities in the Middle East and the regional and global ramifications of these events; volatility in global capital markets and foreign currency, increases in benchmark interest rates, the effects of inflation and instability of financial institutions; risks associated with HP’s international operations; the effects of global pandemics, such as COVID-19, or other public health crises; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its suppliers, customers, clients and partners, including logistical challenges with respect to such execution and performance; changes in estimates and assumptions HP makes in connection with the preparation of its financial statements; the need to manage (and reliance on) third-party suppliers, including with respect to supply constraints and component shortages, and the need to manage HP’s global, multi-tier distribution network and potential misuse of pricing programs by HP’s channel partners, adapt to new or changing marketplaces and effectively deliver HP’s services; HP’s ability to execute on its strategic plans, including the previously announced initiatives, business model changes and transformation; execution of planned structural cost reductions and productivity initiatives; HP’s ability to complete any contemplated share repurchases, other capital return programs or other strategic transactions; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; successfully innovating, developing and executing HP’s go-to-market strategy, including online, omnichannel and contractual sales, in an evolving distribution, reseller and customer landscape; the development and transition of new products and services and the enhancement of existing products and services to meet evolving customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends, including artificial intelligence; successfully competing and maintaining the value proposition of HP’s products, including supplies and services; challenges to HP’s ability to accurately forecast inventories, demand and pricing, which may be due to HP’s multi-tiered channel, sales of HP’s products to unauthorized resellers or unauthorized resale of HP’s products or our uneven sales cycle; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the results of our restructuring plans (including the fiscal 2023 plan), including estimates and assumptions related to the cost (including any possible disruption of HP’s business) and the anticipated benefits of our restructuring plans; the protection of HP’s intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; the hiring and retention of key employees; disruptions in operations from system security risks, data protection breaches, cyberattacks, extreme weather conditions or other effects of climate change, and other natural or manmade disasters or catastrophic events; the impact of changes to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations, including environmental regulations and tax laws; our aspirations related to environmental, social and governance matters; potential impacts, liabilities and costs from pending or potential investigations, claims and disputes; our use of artificial intelligence; the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting; and other risks that are described in HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). HP’s fiscal 2023 plan includes HP's efforts to take advantage of future growth opportunities, including but not limited to, investments to drive growth, investments in our people, improving product mix, driving structural cost savings and other productivity measures. Structural cost savings represent gross reductions in costs driven by operational efficiency, digital transformation, and portfolio optimization. These initiatives include but are not limited to workforce reductions, platform simplification, programs consolidation and productivity measures undertaken by HP, which HP expects to be sustainable in the longer-term. These structural cost savings are net of any new recurring costs resulting from these initiatives and exclude one-time investments to generate such savings. HP’s expectations on the longer-term sustainability of such structural cost savings are based on its current business operations and market dynamics and could be significantly impacted by various factors, including but not limited to HP’s evolving business models, future investment decisions, market environment and technology landscape.
 
As in prior periods, the financial information set forth in this document, including any tax-related items, reflects estimates based on information available at this time. While HP believes these estimates to be reasonable, these amounts could differ materially from reported amounts in HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2024, and HP’s other filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this document are made as of the date of this document and HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
 
HP’s Investor Relations website at investor.hp.com contains a significant amount of information about HP, including financial and other information for investors. HP encourages investors to visit its website from time to time, as information is updated, and new information is posted.  The content of HP’s website is not incorporated by reference into this document or in any other report or document HP files with the SEC, and any references to HP’s website are intended to be inactive textual references only.
 
Available in PDF format -- including all tables