HP reports Q1 earnings: EPS beats but revenue and Q2 guidance both miss

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Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday reported its fiscal first-quarter earnings, which fell short of Wall Street’s expectations. Analysts expected the computer giant to pull in $30.75 billion and $0.87 per share, and while HP’s first-quarter earnings of $0.92 per share beat the Street’s consensus, revenue dipped 7% to $30 billion and missed estimates. “In the first quarter, we delivered on our Q1 outlook and remained focused on the fundamentals to drive long-term sustainable returns,” said HP president and CEO Meg Whitman. “We are taking the necessary steps to improve execution, increase effectiveness and capitalize on emerging opportunities to reassert HP’s technology leadership.” HP anticipates its second-quarter EPS to fall between $0.88 and $0.91, below Wall Street’s consensus of $0.95 per share. Read on for HP’s press release.

HP Reports First Quarter 2012 Results
PALO ALTO, CA–(Marketwire – Feb 22, 2012) – HP (NYSE: HPQ)
First quarter non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.92, down 32% from the prior-year period and above previously provided outlook of $0.83 to $0.86 per share
First quarter GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.73, down 38% from the prior-year period and above previously provided outlook of $0.61 to $0.64 per share
First quarter net revenue of $30.0 billion, down 7% from the prior-year period
Returned $1.0 billion in cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases
HP (NYSE: HPQ) today announced financial results for its first fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2012. For the quarter, net revenue of $30.0 billion was down 7% from the prior-year period, and down 8% when adjusted for the effects of currency.
GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.73, down 38% from the prior-year period. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.92, down 32% from the prior-year period. First quarter non-GAAP earnings information excludes after-tax costs of $364 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, related to amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.
“In the first quarter, we delivered on our Q1 outlook and remained focused on the fundamentals to drive long-term sustainable returns,” said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer. “We are taking the necessary steps to improve execution, increase effectiveness and capitalize on emerging opportunities to reassert HP’s technology leadership.”
Earnings highlights
Q1 FY12 Q1 FY11 Y/Y
GAAP net revenue ($B) $30.0 $32.3 (7%)
GAAP operating margin 6.8% 10.5% (3.7 pts)
GAAP net earnings ($B) $1.5 $2.6 (44%)
GAAP diluted EPS $0.73 $1.17 (38%)
Non-GAAP operating margin 8.6% 12.4% (3.8 pts)
Non-GAAP net earnings ($B) $1.8 $3.0 (40%)
Non-GAAP diluted EPS $0.92 $1.36 (32%)
Information about HP’s use of non-GAAP financial information is provided under “Use of non-GAAP financial information” below.
Trends and regional performance
In the Americas, first quarter revenue was $13.2 billion, down 9% year over year and down 8% when adjusted for the effects of currency. Europe, the Middle East and Africa revenue of $11.7 billion was down 4% year over year and down 5% when adjusted for the effects of currency. Revenue in Asia Pacific was $5.2 billion, representing a 10% decrease year over year and down 12% when adjusted for the effects of currency.
Revenue from outside of the United States in the first quarter accounted for 66% of total HP revenue. BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) generated revenue of $3.1 billion, down 13% from the year-ago period, and representing 10% of total HP revenue.
Revenue in HP’s commercial businesses declined 4% year over year. Revenue in HP’s consumer businesses, within PSG and IPG, was collectively down 23% year over year.
Business group results
Personal Systems Group (PSG) revenue declined 15% year over year with a 5.2% operating margin. Commercial client revenue declined 7%, Consumer client revenue declined 25% and Workstations revenue was flat. Total units were down 18%, with a 19% decline in desktop units and an 18% decline in notebook units.
Services revenue of $8.6 billion grew 1% year over year with a 10.5% operating margin. Technology Services revenue grew 2%, Application and Business Services revenue was flat and IT Outsourcing revenue grew 2% year over year.
Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) revenue declined 7% year over year with a 12.2% operating margin. Commercial hardware revenue was down 5% year over year with commercial printer units down 10%. Consumer hardware revenue was down 15% year over year with a 15% decline in printer units.
Enterprise Servers, Storage and Networking (ESSN) revenue declined 10% year over year with an 11.2% operating margin. Networking revenue was flat, Industry Standard Servers revenue was down 11%, Business Critical Systems revenue was down 27% and Storage revenue was down 6% year over year.
Software revenue grew 30% year over year with a 17.1% operating margin, including the results of Autonomy. Software revenue was driven by 12% license growth, 22% support growth and 108% growth in services.
HP Financial Services revenue grew 15% year over year driven by an 8% increase in net portfolio assets and flat financing volume. The business delivered a 9.6% operating margin.
Asset management
HP generated $1.2 billion in cash flow from operations in the first quarter. Inventory ended the quarter at $7.3 billion, with days of inventory up 3 days year over year to 28 days. Accounts receivable of $15.9 billion was up 2 days year over year to 48 days. Accounts payable ended the quarter at $12.4 billion, down 2 days from the prior-year period at 48 days. HP’s dividend payment of $0.12 per share in the first quarter resulted in cash usage of $244 million. HP also utilized $780 million of cash during the quarter to repurchase approximately 29 million shares of common stock in the open market. HP exited the quarter with $8.2 billion in gross cash.
Outlook
For the second quarter of fiscal 2012, HP estimates non-GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $0.88 to $0.91 and GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $0.68 to $0.71.
Second quarter fiscal 2012 non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs of approximately $0.20 per share, related primarily to the amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.
There is no change to HP’s previously provided full year fiscal 2012 outlook of non-GAAP diluted EPS of at least $4.00 and GAAP diluted EPS of approximately $3.20.
Full year fiscal 2012 non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs of approximately $0.80 per share, related primarily to the amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.
As part of its annual financial review process, HP implemented several organizational realignments effective Q1 FY12. To provide improved visibility and comparability, HP has reflected these realignments in prior financial reporting periods on an as-if basis. These realignments resulted in, among other things, the transfer of revenue within and among various financial reporting segments and business units. The changes do not impact HP’s previously reported consolidated net revenue, earnings from operations, net earnings or earnings per share at the company level. To reflect these changes, HP released modified quarterly and annual consolidated condensed statements of earnings, segment financial results and statements of business unit revenue for fiscal 2010 and 2011, which are available on HP’s Investor Relations website at www.hp.com/investor/home.

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