Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for HP (NYSE:HPQ) Stock Price

HP (NYSE:HPQ) had its price target cut by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $25.00 to $18.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “underweight” rating on the computer maker’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 0.81% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on HPQ. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of HP in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of HP from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price (down from $26.00) on shares of HP in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of HP from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $21.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of HP in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $23.08.

HP Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:HPQ traded down $0.05 on Wednesday, reaching $18.15. The company had a trading volume of 13,454,212 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,869,631. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.50. HP has a twelve month low of $17.56 and a twelve month high of $34.07.

HP (NYSE:HPQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The computer maker reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.04. HP had a negative return on equity of 330.68% and a net margin of 4.57%.The business had revenue of $14.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. HP has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that HP will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ketan M. Patel sold 33,321 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.19, for a total transaction of $772,713.99. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,572 shares in the company, valued at $801,724.68. The trade was a 49.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Enrique Lores sold 41,922 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.00, for a total value of $1,089,972.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 141,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,677,856. This trade represents a 22.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 91,969 shares of company stock valued at $2,277,993 over the last three months. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HPQ. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HP by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 16,711 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $409,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in HP by 45.6% in the second quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 80,896 shares of the computer maker’s stock valued at $1,979,000 after acquiring an additional 25,338 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in HP in the second quarter worth about $477,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in HP during the second quarter worth about $834,000. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its stake in HP by 25.5% during the second quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 156,299 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $3,823,000 after purchasing an additional 31,800 shares during the period. 77.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HP News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting HP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — HP reported non‑GAAP EPS of $0.81 and revenue of $14.44B, above Wall Street estimates, driven by solid demand. HP Inc. Reports Fiscal 2026 First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Top‑line growth led by Personal Systems — Personal Systems revenue rose (double‑digit growth noted by analysts), helping overall revenue expand ~7% year‑over‑year. This demonstrates demand resilience in PCs. HP Inc (HPQ) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Cash returns and improving free cash flow — Management returned ~$0.6B to shareholders and reported positive free cash flow, which supports buybacks/dividend continuity. HP Inc. Reports Fiscal 2026 First Quarter Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials and full call transcript are available for deeper read — useful for assessing management commentary on cost actions and AI/PC opportunities. HP Inc. 2026 Q1 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance trimmed and FY outlook weakened — HP set Q2 EPS guidance of $0.70–$0.76 (consensus ~$0.75) and said fiscal‑year results are likely toward the low end of prior ranges, reducing near‑term earnings visibility. HP slides as mixed guidance weighs on strong Q1 results
• Negative Sentiment: Memory‑cost headwinds and trade/regulatory risk — Rising memory chip prices and potential impacts from U.S. trade regulations are expected to inflate costs and compress margins, prompting analysts to cut EPS/target estimates. HP warns US trade regulations, memory chip costs to weigh on annual forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts lower fair‑value/estimates — Several research notes trimmed target ranges (mid‑$20s to low‑$20s) and flagged that memory pricing and mixed end‑demand could challenge HP’s ability to deliver operating leverage. Why The HP (HPQ) Story Is Shifting On Costs Memory Pressures And AI PC Hopes
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares near 52‑week low after CFO caution — Despite the quarter’s beats, the CFO’s warning on costs and lowered guidance erased the upside, pushing the stock toward its one‑year low. HP Hits 52-Week Low After CFO’s Warning Wipes Out Earnings Win

HP Company Profile

HP Inc is an American multinational information technology company that designs, manufactures and sells personal computing devices, printers and related supplies and services. Its product portfolio spans consumer and commercial notebooks and desktops, workstations, displays and accessories, as well as an extensive line of printing hardware that includes home, office and production printers. HP also provides consumables such as ink and toner, managed print services, device deployment and lifecycle support, and software for device and print management.

Founded from the original Hewlett‑Packard Company, HP Inc became a separately traded public company in 2015 following a corporate split that created Hewlett Packard Enterprise to focus on enterprise hardware and services.