Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on HP (NYSE:HPQ)

HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 56,561 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 160% compared to the typical volume of 21,734 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HPQ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of HP in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of HP from $25.00 to $18.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $20.00 price objective (down from $26.00) on shares of HP in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of HP from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on HP from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HP has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $22.23.

HP Price Performance

HPQ traded up $0.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $18.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 36,824,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,782,801. HP has a twelve month low of $17.56 and a twelve month high of $34.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $20.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.50. The stock has a market cap of $16.76 billion, a PE ratio of 6.90, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.21.

HP (NYSE:HPQ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The computer maker reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $14.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.87 billion. HP had a net margin of 4.57% and a negative return on equity of 330.68%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.74 earnings per share. HP has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.760 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that HP will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current year.

HP Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. HP’s payout ratio is currently 45.28%.

More HP News

Here are the key news stories impacting HP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — HP reported non‑GAAP EPS of $0.81 vs. $0.77 consensus and revenue of $14.44B, driven by strength in Personal Systems (PC unit). Management also showed free cash flow and returned capital to shareholders. HP Q1 Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance update — HP set Q2 FY26 EPS guidance of $0.70–$0.76 (slightly below some expectations) and said it now expects FY26 results closer to the low end of prior ranges; this clarifies near‑term outlook but leaves longer‑term execution and cost mitigation as key variables. HP Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/sector commentary — Analysts and commentators note HP’s competitive position in the NYSE technology composite and the opportunity from AI‑capable PCs, but stress that any upside depends on margin recovery and memory cost trends. Kalkine Media Article
• Negative Sentiment: Memory cost pressure & regulatory risk — Management warned that rising memory (DRAM) costs and potential impacts from U.S. trade regulations could push FY26 results toward the low end of prior guidance, pressuring margins. That warning erased some of the positive reaction to the beat. Reuters: Memory & Trade Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analyst downgrades and price‑target cuts — Several firms cut targets and moved to underweight/sell (Goldman Sachs to $16/sell; Barclays and Morgan Stanley to $16/underweight; Wells Fargo to $18/underweight), amplifying selling pressure despite the beat. Benzinga: Analyst Moves TickerReport: Morgan Stanley

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HP

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Garner Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of HP during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of HP by 2,346.5% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of HP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in HP during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in HP by 97.0% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 646 shares during the last quarter. 77.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.