Latest news with #BillHewlett
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Gizmodo
HP's New Gaming Headset Promises to Stay Powered From Now Until Judgement Day
If you really can't stand the idea of plugging a headset into a spare USB charger after a marathon gaming session, your old buddies Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard may have what you're looking for. HP's HyperX lineup of PC gaming peripherals now includes the $300 HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 headset that promises a total of 250 hours of battery life on a full charge. No, it's not as long as the original $200 HyperX Cloud Alpha's promised 300 hours back in 2022, but the sequel now includes a big glowing base station for quick audio switching and simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity that makes it more usable as your go-to PC headset. HP invited me to stick my head between the Cloud Alpha 2's cuffs, and at the very least I can say it will remain comfortable for a portion of the 250 hours you could spend listening to it. The headset is built on a steel frame with aluminum forks supporting microfiber earpads that feel soft and tight without squeezing your head like a lemon press. That promised 250 hours of battery life is what you can expect from using it in 2.4GHz mode at 50% volume, but if you do simultaneous Bluetooth, you can expect closer to 125 hours. If you want to go from 0 to 100%, charging this beast could take upwards of six hours. In effect, the headset could last a total of 25 10-hour marathon gaming sessions. If you're like me, and you barely get two hours to rub together to sit down at your PC, the Cloud Alpha 2 could potentially go months without needing topping up. The Cloud Alpha 2 seems built to be your mainstay at-home headset for PC gaming thanks to the RGB Base Station. The platform sits on your desk with a large volume knob and six programmable buttons. It acts as your 2.4GHz dongle, though its main raison d'être is for easy-access media controls. HP told me the big glowing buttons can be reprogrammed for mute, media switching, EQ toggles, and more through the Ngenuity software. I asked the company if these buttons could be modified to access features outside of HP's own software, but unfortunately you won't be able to turn the RGB Base Station into a miniature Stream Deck. HP also brought back the internal mic the company last featured in the HyperX Cloud III S. It's a quality of life feature that lets you set the obtrusive boom mic aside if you want to keep talking while shoveling food into your maw. What wasn't copied over was the Instant Pair feature that let the Cloud III S connect to HP's Omen Max 16 laptop without needing a dongle. It seems like a strange omission considering HP's new gaming laptop supports the instant audio connection. The new HyperX headset is using large 53mm drivers, and in the few minutes testing them, I found they could produce loud audio with some impressive bass, but there wasn't nearly enough time to really put the Cloud Alpha 2 through its paces. I've been on a headset kick lately since trying out the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro with its measly 70 hours of stated battery life, though HyperX's lineup is geared more toward the everyday gamer rather than the esports tryhard. Despite—or perhaps due to—all this talk about pointlessly long battery life in a headset, what really sparked joy in my jaded gamer brain was a power supply, of all things. HP's new Omen Max 45L desktop sports a neat cooling system hanging on a shelf above the main chamber. That so-called 'Cryo Chamber' is supposed to keep components up to the AMD Ryzen 9950X3D and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 cool. What enticed me more was what lay below. The PSU, or power supply, includes a fan control built into the PC's Omen software. HP also allows users to spin the PSU fan backwards, which in theory should expel any dust or loose fur that gets sucked up through the bottom grates. I can't imagine this would replace a deep cleaning. If anything, HP's latest products are built for the forgetful sort who can't seem to find the time to charge their headset or clean their PC.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HP's (NYSE:HPQ) Q1 Sales Top Estimates But Stock Drops 16.3%
Personal computing and printing company HP (NYSE:HPQ) announced better-than-expected revenue in Q1 CY2025, with sales up 3.3% year on year to $13.22 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.71 per share was 11.6% below analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy HP? Find out in our full research report. Revenue: $13.22 billion vs analyst estimates of $13.1 billion (3.3% year-on-year growth, 0.9% beat) Adjusted EPS: $0.71 vs analyst expectations of $0.80 (11.6% miss) Adjusted EBITDA: $999 million vs analyst estimates of $1.21 billion (7.6% margin, 17.4% miss) Management lowered its full-year Adjusted EPS guidance to $3.15 at the midpoint, a 12.5% decrease Operating Margin: 4.9%, down from 7.4% in the same quarter last year Free Cash Flow was -$145 million, down from $462 million in the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $26.72 billion 'In Q2, we delivered solid revenue growth, led by strong Commercial performance in Personal Systems and continued momentum behind our future of work strategy,' said Enrique Lores, President and CEO. Born from the legendary Silicon Valley garage startup founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939, HP (NYSE:HPQ) designs and sells personal computers, printers, and related technology products and services to consumers, businesses, and enterprises worldwide. A company's long-term sales performance can indicate its overall quality. Any business can put up a good quarter or two, but many enduring ones grow for years. With $54.3 billion in revenue over the past 12 months, HP is a behemoth in the business services sector and benefits from economies of scale, giving it an edge in distribution. This also enables it to gain more leverage on its fixed costs than smaller competitors and the flexibility to offer lower prices. However, its scale is a double-edged sword because finding new avenues for growth becomes difficult when you already have a substantial market presence. For HP to boost its sales, it likely needs to adjust its prices, launch new offerings, or lean into foreign markets. As you can see below, HP's revenue declined by 1% per year over the last five years, a tough starting point for our analysis. Long-term growth is the most important, but within business services, a half-decade historical view may miss new innovations or demand cycles. HP's annualized revenue declines of 1.6% over the last two years align with its five-year trend, suggesting its demand has consistently shrunk. We can better understand the company's revenue dynamics by analyzing its most important segments, Commercial Personal Systems and Commercial Printing, which are 51.3% and 31.6% of revenue. Over the last two years, HP's Commercial Personal Systems revenue (desktops, laptops, etc.) averaged 1.1% year-on-year growth. On the other hand, its Commercial Printing revenue (commercial or industrial printers) averaged 3.9% declines. This quarter, HP reported modest year-on-year revenue growth of 3.3% but beat Wall Street's estimates by 0.9%. Looking ahead, sell-side analysts expect revenue to grow 1.4% over the next 12 months. While this projection implies its newer products and services will spur better top-line performance, it is still below the sector average. Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we've identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefiting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link. Operating margin is one of the best measures of profitability because it tells us how much money a company takes home after subtracting all core expenses, like marketing and R&D. HP was profitable over the last five years but held back by its large cost base. Its average operating margin of 7% was weak for a business services business. Analyzing the trend in its profitability, HP's operating margin might fluctuated slightly but has generally stayed the same over the last five years, which doesn't help its cause. In Q1, HP generated an operating profit margin of 4.9%, down 2.5 percentage points year on year. This contraction shows it was less efficient because its expenses grew faster than its revenue. We track the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) for the same reason as long-term revenue growth. Compared to revenue, however, EPS highlights whether a company's growth is profitable. HP's EPS grew at an unimpressive 6.5% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years. This performance was better than its 1% annualized revenue declines but doesn't tell us much about its business quality because its operating margin didn't expand. We can take a deeper look into HP's earnings to better understand the drivers of its performance. A five-year view shows that HP has repurchased its stock, shrinking its share count by 33.6%. This tells us its EPS outperformed its revenue not because of increased operational efficiency but financial engineering, as buybacks boost per share earnings. In Q1, HP reported EPS at $0.71, down from $0.82 in the same quarter last year. This print missed analysts' estimates. Over the next 12 months, Wall Street expects HP's full-year EPS of $3.21 to grow 12.9%. It was good to see HP narrowly top analysts' revenue expectations this quarter. On the other hand, its EPS and EBITDA missed, and it lowered its full-year EPS guidance. Overall, this was a softer quarter. The stock traded down 16.3% to $22.85 immediately after reporting. HP's earnings report left more to be desired. Let's look forward to see if this quarter has created an opportunity to buy the stock. If you're making that decision, you should consider the bigger picture of valuation, business qualities, as well as the latest earnings. We cover that in our actionable full research report which you can read here, it's free. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unpacking Q4 Earnings: HP (NYSE:HPQ) In The Context Of Other Hardware & Infrastructure Stocks
The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let's take a look at how HP (NYSE:HPQ) and the rest of the hardware & infrastructure stocks fared in Q4. The Hardware & Infrastructure sector will be buoyed by demand related to AI adoption, cloud computing expansion, and the need for more efficient data storage and processing solutions. Companies with tech offerings such as servers, switches, and storage solutions are well-positioned in our new hybrid working and IT world. On the other hand, headwinds include ongoing supply chain disruptions, rising component costs, and intensifying competition from cloud-native and hyperscale providers reducing reliance on traditional hardware. Additionally, regulatory scrutiny over data sovereignty, cybersecurity standards, and environmental sustainability in hardware manufacturing could increase compliance costs. The 10 hardware & infrastructure stocks we track reported a slower Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts' consensus estimates by 1.1% while next quarter's revenue guidance was in line. Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 18.2% since the latest earnings results. Born from the legendary Silicon Valley garage startup founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939, HP (NYSE:HPQ) designs and sells personal computers, printers, and related technology products and services to consumers, businesses, and enterprises worldwide. HP reported revenues of $13.5 billion, up 2.4% year on year. This print exceeded analysts' expectations by 1.1%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a slower quarter for the company with a slight miss of analysts' EPS estimates. "We are pleased with our Q1 performance, achieving revenue growth for the third straight quarter and advancing our strategy to lead the future of work,' said Enrique Lores, HP President and CEO. Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 23.7% since reporting and currently trades at $25.32. Read our full report on HP here, it's free. Founded in 2009 as a pioneer in enterprise all-flash storage technology, Pure Storage (NYSE:PSTG) provides all-flash data storage hardware and software that helps organizations manage their data more efficiently across on-premises and cloud environments. Pure Storage reported revenues of $879.8 million, up 11.4% year on year, outperforming analysts' expectations by 1.2%. The business had a satisfactory quarter with a solid beat of analysts' EPS estimates but billings in line with analysts' estimates. Pure Storage delivered the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is down 27.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $45.17. Is now the time to buy Pure Storage? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. Pioneer of the luxury metal credit card that's in the wallets of affluent consumers worldwide, CompoSecure (NASDAQ:CMPO) designs and manufactures premium metal payment cards and secure authentication solutions for financial institutions and digital asset storage. CompoSecure reported revenues of $100.9 million, flat year on year, falling short of analysts' expectations by 1.6%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts' EPS estimates. As expected, the stock is down 9.2% since the results and currently trades at $10.90. Read our full analysis of CompoSecure's results here. Founded by quantum physics pioneers from the University of Maryland and Duke University in 2015, IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) develops quantum computers that process information using trapped ions to solve complex computational problems beyond the capabilities of traditional computers. IonQ reported revenues of $11.71 million, up 91.8% year on year. This number beat analysts' expectations by 15.9%. Aside from that, it was a slower quarter as it logged a significant miss of analysts' EPS estimates. IonQ pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is down 3.4% since reporting and currently trades at $28.90. Read our full, actionable report on IonQ here, it's free. Born from the 2015 split of the iconic Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett-Packard, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE) provides edge-to-cloud technology solutions that help businesses capture, analyze, and act upon their data across hybrid IT environments. Hewlett Packard Enterprise reported revenues of $7.85 billion, up 16.3% year on year. This result surpassed analysts' expectations by 0.5%. However, it was a slower quarter as it recorded a significant miss of analysts' EPS guidance for next quarter estimates and a miss of analysts' EPS estimates. The stock is down 7.2% since reporting and currently trades at $16.64. Read our full, actionable report on Hewlett Packard Enterprise here, it's free. Thanks to the Fed's rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has been on a steady path downward, easing back toward that 2% sweet spot. Fortunately (miraculously to some), all this tightening didn't send the economy tumbling into a recession, so here we are, cautiously celebrating a soft landing. The cherry on top? Recent rate cuts (half a point in September 2024, a quarter in November) have propped up markets, especially after Trump's November win lit a fire under major indices and sent them to all-time highs. However, there's still plenty to ponder — tariffs, corporate tax cuts, and what 2025 might hold for the economy. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Join Paid Stock Investor Research Help us make StockStory more helpful to investors like yourself. Join our paid user research session and receive a $50 Amazon gift card for your opinions. Sign up here. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Reasons to Sell HPQ and 1 Stock to Buy Instead
HP has gotten torched over the last six months - since October 2024, its stock price has dropped 33.9% to $23.95 per share. This was partly due to its softer quarterly results and might have investors contemplating their next move. Is there a buying opportunity in HP, or does it present a risk to your portfolio? Get the full breakdown from our expert analysts, it's free. Even though the stock has become cheaper, we're swiping left on HP for now. Here are three reasons why HPQ doesn't excite us and a stock we'd rather own. Born from the legendary Silicon Valley garage startup founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939, HP (NYSE:HPQ) designs and sells personal computers, printers, and related technology products and services to consumers, businesses, and enterprises worldwide. A company's long-term sales performance can indicate its overall quality. Any business can have short-term success, but a top-tier one grows for years. Over the last five years, HP's demand was weak and its revenue declined by 1.7% per year. This wasn't a great result and signals it's a low quality business. Forecasted revenues by Wall Street analysts signal a company's potential. Predictions may not always be accurate, but accelerating growth typically boosts valuation multiples and stock prices while slowing growth does the opposite. Over the next 12 months, sell-side analysts expect HP's revenue to rise by 1.8%. While this projection suggests its newer products and services will catalyze better top-line performance, it is still below the sector average. Analyzing the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) shows whether a company's incremental sales were profitable – for example, revenue could be inflated through excessive spending on advertising and promotions. HP's EPS grew at an unimpressive 6.8% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years. On the bright side, this performance was better than its 1.7% annualized revenue declines and tells us management adapted its cost structure in response to a challenging demand environment. We see the value of companies helping consumers, but in the case of HP, we're out. After the recent drawdown, the stock trades at 6.4× forward price-to-earnings (or $23.95 per share). While this valuation is optically cheap, the potential downside is huge given its shaky fundamentals. There are superior stocks to buy right now. Let us point you toward a dominant Aerospace business that has perfected its M&A strategy. Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs. While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like Comfort Systems (+751% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Value Stocks in the Doghouse
Value investing has created more billionaires than any other strategy, like Warren Buffett, who built his fortune by purchasing wonderful businesses at reasonable prices. But these hidden gems are few and far between - many stocks that appear cheap often stay that way because they face structural issues. Separating the winners from the value traps is a tough challenge, and that's where StockStory comes in. Our job is to find you high-quality companies that will stand the test of time. Keeping that in mind, here are three value stocks with poor fundamentals and some alternatives you should consider instead. Forward P/E Ratio: 14.8x With roots dating back to 1904 and embedded in virtually every stage of scientific research and production, Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) provides mission-critical products, materials, and services to customers in biopharma, healthcare, education, and advanced technology industries. Why Do We Think Twice About AVTR? Organic revenue growth fell short of our benchmarks over the past two years and implies it may need to improve its products, pricing, or go-to-market strategy Forecasted revenue decline of 2.1% for the upcoming 12 months implies demand will fall even further Inability to adjust its cost structure while its revenue declined over the last two years led to a 3.6 percentage point drop in the company's adjusted operating margin At $16.17 per share, Avantor trades at 14.8x forward price-to-earnings. If you're considering AVTR for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more. Forward P/E Ratio: 12.6x Established in 1991, Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV) is a provider of funeral and cemetery services in the United States. Why Are We Hesitant About CSV? 4.5% annual revenue growth over the last two years was slower than its consumer discretionary peers Anticipated sales growth of 7.2% for the next year implies demand will be shaky Below-average returns on capital indicate management struggled to find compelling investment opportunities, and its shrinking returns suggest its past profit sources are losing steam Carriage Services is trading at $38.99 per share, or 12.6x forward price-to-earnings. To fully understand why you should be careful with CSV, check out our full research report (it's free). Forward P/E Ratio: 7.7x Born from the legendary Silicon Valley garage startup founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939, HP (NYSE:HPQ) designs and sells personal computers, printers, and related technology products and services to consumers, businesses, and enterprises worldwide. Why Should You Sell HPQ? Sales tumbled by 1.7% annually over the last five years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle Projected sales growth of 3.5% for the next 12 months suggests sluggish demand Earnings per share have contracted by 4.6% annually over the last two years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance HP's stock price of $28.59 implies a valuation ratio of 7.7x forward price-to-earnings. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including HPQ in your portfolio, it's free. With rates dropping, inflation stabilizing, and the elections in the rearview mirror, all signs point to the start of a new bull run - and we're laser-focused on finding the best stocks for this upcoming cycle. Put yourself in the driver's seat by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like Axon (+711% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Sign in to access your portfolio
