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Saturday, February 23, 2013

013: Wall Street Lets Up on HP: But Why?



From the Wall Street Journal,

"H-P’s numbers buy CEO Whitman some breathing room. Hewlett-Packard Co.‘s first-quarter earnings declined 16% as the technology giant continued to see weaker sales across all its divisions, including its core personal computer business, reports the WSJ’s Ben Worthen. Shares nevertheless soared in after-hours trading as H-P’s numbers beat Wall Street estimates..."


We listened to HP's earnings call (Feb. 21st) our 4th, and for the life of me, I can't find the 'silver-lining everyone else sees - but there is one.

HP is following the tried and true public formula for companies on the mend - 
  1. Admit problems...
  2. Clean house...
  3. Blame economic headwinds, past leadership and bad deals of the past...
  4. Make the future seem as though it is going to be very bad...
  5. Report numbers that are "less bad" than the original thought/projected...
  6. Get the street off your back..
    There's a concept in military science called, "shaping the battlefield".  In HP's case this means setting expectations so incredibly low, feeding detractors fog and allowing media-allies, 'privileged access'.

    When you hear, "...HP beats Wall Street analysts projections..." question what data these analysts utilized establishing their forecast.

    For the rest of us, here are the numbers that hold relevance.  The largest technology company in the world, the company that grew from humble beginnings into the corporation we all work for, the entity that rode the output wave, encouraging over printing along the way, is fighting for her life:

    See the rest here.

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    Greg Walters, Incorporated
    greg@grwalters.com
    262.370.4193