News highlights:

• HP inc. (“HP”) reiterates fiscal 2021 financial outlook provided at Q3 2021 earnings
• Estimates GAAP diluted net earnings per share (“EPS”) for fiscal 2022 of $3.86 to $4.06
• Estimates non-GAAP diluted net EPS for fiscal 2022 of $4.07 to $4.27
• Estimates fiscal 2022 free cash flow of at least $4.5 billion
• Expects to return at least 100% of fiscal 2022 free cash flow to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases
• HP announces annual dividend increase of approximately 29% to $1 per share

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today at HP’s 2021 Securities Analyst Meeting (“SAM”), the company reiterated its fiscal 2021 financial outlook provided at Q3 2021 earnings, and provided details on its strategy and opportunities for long-term growth, along with its financial outlook for fiscal 2022.

“We continue to build a stronger HP. We have delivered exceptional financial performance since our last investor day in 2019 – and we are confident in our plans to deliver sustained revenue, operating profit, EPS and free cash flow growth,” said Enrique Lores, President and Chief Executive Officer, HP Inc. “We are strengthening our core business, building a more growth-oriented portfolio, and creating a more digital company to meet changing customer needs and capitalize on secular trends across our categories.”

Fiscal 2022 outlook

For fiscal 2022, the company estimates GAAP diluted net EPS to be in the range of $3.86 to $4.06 and estimates non-GAAP diluted net EPS to be in the range of $4.07 to $4.27. Fiscal 2022 non-GAAP diluted net EPS estimates exclude $0.21 per diluted share, primarily related to restructuring and other charges, acquisition-related charges, amortization of intangible assets, non-operating retirement-related (credits)/charges, tax adjustments and the related tax impact on these items.

Based on the current environment, HP anticipates generating free cash flow of at least $4.5 billion for fiscal 2022.

For fiscal 2022, the company indicated that it expects to return at least 100% of free cash flow through dividends and share repurchases. The HP Board of Directors has approved an increase to the planned annual dividend amount to $1.00 per share, reflecting an approximately 29% increase from the prior dividend. The balance is expected to be returned to shareholders through share repurchases.

“This is a record 29 percent increase in our annual dividend, underscoring our confidence in our ability to grow earnings and free cash flow in fiscal 2022 and beyond,” said Marie Myers, Chief Financial Officer. “We remain deeply committed to aggressively returning capital to shareholders while also investing in attractive opportunities we see to drive profitable growth and long-term value creation.”

Webcast details

A webcast of today’s event, along with management presentations and other materials, is available at https://investor.hp.com/events/event-details/2021/HP-Securities-Analyst-Meeting/default.aspx. This news release contains only a summary of some of the information being presented at today’s event and should be read in conjunction with the management presentations and other materials made available on that website.  

About HP Inc.

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at www.hp.com.

Forward-looking statements

This news release 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, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries 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 potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions by governments, businesses and individuals in response to the situation; projections of net revenue, margins, expenses, effective tax rates, net earnings, net EPS, 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, net revenue or profitability improvements or other financial impacts; any statements concerning the expected development, performance, market share or competitive performance relating to products or services; 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 or disputes; any statements of expectation or belief, including with respect to the timing and expected benefits of acquisitions and other business combination and investment transactions; 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 include factors relating to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions by governments, businesses and individuals in response to the situation, the effects of which may give rise to or amplify the risks associated with many of these factors listed here; HP’s ability to execute on its strategic plan, 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 need to address the many challenges facing HP’s businesses; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; risks associated with executing HP’s strategy and business model changes and transformation; successfully innovating, developing and executing HP’s go-to-market strategy, including online, omnichannel and contractual sales, in an evolving distribution and reseller landscape; the development and transition of new products and services and the enhancement of existing products and services to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; successfully competing and maintaining the value proposition of HP’s products, including supplies; the need to manage (and reliance on) third-party suppliers, including with respect to component shortages, and the need to manage HP’s global, multi-tier distribution network, limit potential misuse of pricing programs by HP’s channel partners, adapt to new or changing marketplaces and effectively deliver HP’s 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 HP’s uneven sales cycle; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the results of the restructuring plans, including estimates and assumptions related to the cost (including any possible disruption of HP’s business) and the anticipated benefits of the restructuring plans; the protection of HP’s intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; the hiring and retention of key employees; the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events, including the effects of inflation; risks associated with HP’s international operations; 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; disruptions in operations from system security risks, data protection breaches, cyberattacks, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics or pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, 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; potential impacts, liabilities and costs from pending or potential investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described herein and the risks discussed in HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020 and that are otherwise described or updated from time to time in HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

As in prior periods, the financial information set forth in this release 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 Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2021 and October 31, 2022 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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.

Use of non-GAAP financial information

To supplement HP’s financial information 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 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 each of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the slides presented at the 2021 SAM. 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 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, tax rate, net earnings, diluted net EPS, cash provided by operating activities or cash and cash equivalents prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Use and economic substance of non-GAAP financial measures

Net revenue on a constant currency basis excludes the effect of foreign currency exchange fluctuations calculated by translating current period revenues using monthly average exchange rates from the comparative period and excluding any hedging impact recognized in the current period. Non-GAAP operating margin is defined to exclude the effects of any amounts relating to restructuring and other charges, acquisition-related charges, and amortization of intangible assets. Non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted net EPS consist of net earnings or diluted net EPS excluding those same charges, defined benefit plan settlement charges, non-operating retirement related (credits)/charges, debt extinguishment costs, tax adjustments and the amount of additional taxes or tax benefits associated with each non-GAAP item. HP’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures for purposes of evaluating HP’s historical and prospective financial performance, as well as HP’s performance relative to its competitors. HP’s management also uses these non-GAAP measures to further its own understanding of HP’s segment operating performance. HP believes that excluding the items mentioned above for these non-GAAP financial measures allows HP’s management to better understand HP’s consolidated financial performance in relation to the operating results of HP’s segments, as HP’s management does not believe that the excluded items are reflective of ongoing operating results. More specifically, HP’s management excludes each of those items mentioned above for the following reasons:

• Restructuring and other charges are (i) costs associated with a formal restructuring plan and are primarily related to employee separation from service and early retirement costs and related benefits, costs of real estate consolidation and other non-labor charges; and (ii) other charges, which include non-recurring costs that are distinct from ongoing operational costs. HP excludes these restructuring and other charges (and any reversals of charges recorded in prior periods) for purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures because HP believes that these costs do not reflect expected future operating expenses and do not contribute to a meaningful evaluation of HP's current operating performance or comparisons to HP's operating performance in other periods. 
• HP incurs cost related to its acquisitions, which it would not have otherwise incurred as part of its operations. The charges are direct expenses such as third-party professional and legal fees, and integration-related costs, as well as non-cash adjustments to the fair value of certain acquired assets such as inventory. These charges related to acquisitions are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing and nature of HP's acquisitions. HP believes that eliminating such expenses for purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures facilitates a more meaningful evaluation of HP's current operating performance and comparisons to HP's operating performance in other periods.
• HP incurs charges relating to the amortization of intangible assets. Those charges are included in HP’s GAAP earnings, operating margin, net earnings and diluted net EPS. Such charges are significantly impacted by the timing and magnitude of HP’s acquisitions and any related impairment charges. Consequently, HP excludes these charges for purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures to facilitate a more meaningful evaluation of HP’s current operating performance and comparisons to HP’s operating performance in other periods.
• Non-operating retirement-related (credits)/charges includes certain market-related factors such as interest cost, expected return on plan assets, amortized actuarial gains or losses, and impacts from other market-related factors associated with HP’s defined benefit pension and post-retirement benefit plans. The market-driven retirement-related adjustments are primarily due to the changes in the value of pension plan assets and liabilities which are tied to financial market performance and HP considers these adjustments to be outside the operational performance of the business. Non- operating retirement-related (credits)/charges also include certain plan curtailments, settlements and special termination benefits related to HP’s defined benefit pension and post-retirement benefit plans. HP believes that eliminating such adjustments for purposes of calculating non-GAAP measures facilitates a more meaningful evaluation of HP's current operating performance and comparisons to HP's operating performance in other periods.
• HP incurs defined benefit plan settlement charges relating to HP funded pension plans. The charges are associated with the net settlement and remeasurement resulting from voluntary lump sum payments offered to certain vested participants that are separated from service. HP excludes these charges for the purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures to facilitate a more meaningful evaluation of HP’s current operating performance and comparisons to HP’s operating performance in other periods.
• HP incurs debt extinguishment costs relating to repurchase of certain of its outstanding U.S. dollar global notes or termination of commitments under revolving credit facilities. These costs primarily included bond repurchase premiums partly offset by gains from fair value hedges. HP excludes these costs for the purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures to facilitate a more meaningful evaluation of HP's current operating performance and comparisons to HP's operating performance in other periods.
• Tax adjustments include U.S. tax reform adjustment.
  • HP recorded U.S. tax reform adjustments as one-time charges relating to the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and has completed the accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act within the one year measurement period. Additional guidance is periodically issued by regulators and new positions taken or elections made by HP impact the income tax expense and effective tax rate in the period in which the adjustments are made.
  • HP also recorded other tax adjustment including tax benefits and expenses related to the realizability of certain deferred tax assets, various tax rate and regulatory changes and tax settlements across various jurisdictions. HP excludes these adjustments for the purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures to facilitate a more meaningful evaluation of HP's current operating performance and comparisons to HP's operating performance in other periods.

HP excludes these adjustments for the purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures to facilitate a more meaningful evaluation of HP’s current operating performance and comparisons to HP’s operating performance in other periods.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure that is defined as cash flow from operations adjusted for net investment in leases and net investments in property, plant and equipment. Gross cash is a non-GAAP measure that is defined as cash and cash equivalents plus short-term investments and certain long-term investments that may be liquidated within 90 days pursuant to the terms of existing put options or similar rights. HP’s management uses free cash flow and gross cash for the purpose of determining the amount of cash available for investment in HP’s businesses, repurchasing stock and other purposes. HP’s management also uses free cash flow and gross cash to evaluate HP’s historical and prospective liquidity. Because gross cash includes liquid assets that are not included in cash and cash equivalents, HP believes that gross cash provides a helpful assessment of HP’s liquidity. Because free cash flow includes net cash (used in)/ provided by operating activities adjusted for net investment in leases and, net investments in property, plant and equipment, HP believes that free cash flow provides a more accurate and complete assessment of HP’s liquidity and capital resources. Net cash (debt) is defined as gross cash less gross debt after adjusting the effect of unamortized premium/discount on debt issuance, debt issuance costs and gains/losses on interest rate swaps.

Material limitations associated with use of non-GAAP financial measures

These non-GAAP financial measures may have limitations as analytical tools, and these measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of HP’s results as reported under GAAP. Some of the limitations in relying on these non-GAAP financial measures are:

• Items such as amortization of intangible assets, though not directly affecting HP’s cash position, represent the loss in value of intangible assets over time. The expense associated with this change in value is not included in non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted net EPS, and therefore does not reflect the full economic effect of the change in value of those intangible assets.
• Items such as restructuring and other charges, acquisition-related charges, non-operating retirement-related (credits)/charges, defined benefit plan settlement charges, debt extinguishment costs and tax adjustments that are excluded from non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted net EPS can have a material impact on the equivalent GAAP earnings measure and cash flows.
• HP may not be able to immediately liquidate the short-term and certain long-term investments included in gross cash, which may limit the usefulness of gross cash as a liquidity measure.

Other companies may calculate the non-GAAP financial measures differently than HP, limiting the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes.

Compensation for limitations associated with use of non-GAAP financial measures

HP compensates for the limitations on its use of non-GAAP financial measures by relying primarily on its GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures only supplementally. HP also provides robust and detailed reconciliations of each non-GAAP financial measure to its most directly comparable GAAP measure in other written materials that include these non-GAAP financial measures, and HP encourages investors to review those reconciliations carefully.

Usefulness of non-GAAP financial measures to investors

HP believes that providing net revenue on a constant currency basis, non-GAAP total operating expense , non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP tax rate, , non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted net EPS, free cash flow, gross cash and net cash (debt) to investors in addition to the related GAAP financial measures provides investors with greater transparency to the information used by HP’s management in its financial and operational decision making and allows investors to see HP’s results “through the eyes” of management. HP further believes that providing this information better enables HP’s investors to understand HP’s operating performance and financial condition and to evaluate the efficacy of the methodology and information used by HP’s management to evaluate and measure such performance and financial condition. Disclosure of these non-GAAP financial measures also facilitates comparisons of HP’s operating performance with the performance of other companies in HP’s industry that supplement their GAAP results with non-GAAP financial measures that may be calculated in a similar manner.

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