ITEM 1A. Risk Factors.

        Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our operating results, past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods.

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Competitive pressures could harm our revenue, gross margin and prospects.

        We encounter aggressive competition from numerous and varied competitors in all areas of our business, and our competitors may target our key market segments. We compete primarily on the basis of technology, performance, price, quality, reliability, brand, reputation, distribution, range of products and services, ease of use of our products, account relationships, customer training, service and support, security, availability of application software, and Internet infrastructure offerings. If our products, services, support and cost structure do not enable us to compete successfully based on any of those criteria, our operations, results and prospects could be harmed.

        Unlike many of our competitors, we have a portfolio of businesses and must allocate resources across these businesses while competing with companies that specialize in one or more of these product lines. As a result, we may invest less in certain areas of our businesses than our competitors do, and these competitors may have greater financial, technical and marketing resources available to them than our businesses that compete against them. Industry consolidation also may affect competition by creating larger, more homogeneous and potentially stronger competitors in the markets in which we compete, and our competitors also may affect our business by entering into exclusive arrangements with existing or potential customers or suppliers. In addition, companies with whom we have strategic alliances in some areas may be competitors in other areas. Those companies also may acquire or form alliances with our competitors, thereby reducing their business with us. Any inability to effectively manage these complicated relationships with strategic alliance partners could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

        We may have to continue to lower the prices of many of our products and services to stay competitive, while at the same time trying to maintain or improve revenue and gross margin. The markets in which we do business, particularly the personal computer and printing markets, are highly competitive, and we encounter aggressive price competition for all of our products and services from numerous companies globally. Over the past several years, price competition in the market for personal computers, printers and related products has been particularly intense as competitors have aggressively cut prices and lowered their product margins for these products. In addition, competitors in some of the markets in which we compete with a greater presence in lower-cost jurisdictions may be able to offer lower prices than we are able to offer. Our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected by these and other industry-wide pricing pressures.

        Because our business model is based on providing innovative and high quality products, we may spend a proportionately greater amount on research and development than some of our competitors. If we cannot proportionately decrease our cost structure on a timely basis in response to competitive price pressures, our gross margin and, therefore, our profitability could be adversely affected. In addition, if our pricing and other factors are not sufficiently competitive, or if there is an adverse reaction to our product decisions, we may lose market share in certain areas, which could adversely affect our revenue and prospects.

        Even if we are able to maintain or increase market share for a particular product, revenue could decline because the product is in a maturing industry. Revenue and margins also could decline due to increased competition from other types of products. For example, growing demand for an increasing array of mobile computing devices and the development of cloud-based solutions may reduce demand for some of our existing hardware products. In addition, refill and remanufactured alternatives for some of HP's LaserJet toner and inkjet cartridges compete with HP's supplies business. Other companies have also developed and marketed new compatible cartridges for HP's LaserJet and inkjet products, particularly in jurisdictions outside of the United States where adequate intellectual property protection may not exist.

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If we cannot continue to develop, manufacture and market products and services that meet customer requirements for innovation and quality, our revenue and gross margin may suffer.

        The process of developing new high technology products and services and enhancing existing products and services is complex, costly and uncertain, and any failure by us to anticipate customers' changing needs and emerging technological trends accurately could significantly harm our market share and results of operations. For example, we must successfully address the increasing market demand for mobile computing devices in a variety of form factors that provide a compelling user experience. We must also attract and retain developers to ensure the continued availability and development of appealing and innovative software applications for our mobile computing devices. In addition, we are transitioning to an environment characterized by cloud-based computing and software being delivered as a service, and we must continue to successfully develop and deploy cloud-based solutions for our customers. We must make long-term investments, develop or obtain appropriate intellectual property and commit significant resources before knowing whether our predictions will accurately reflect customer demand for our products and services. After we develop a product, we must be able to manufacture appropriate volumes quickly and at low costs. To accomplish this, we must accurately forecast volumes, mixes of products and configurations that meet customer requirements, and we may not succeed at doing so at all or within a given product's life cycle. Any delay in the development, production or marketing of a new product could result in us not being among the first to market, which could further harm our competitive position.

        In the course of conducting our business, we must adequately address quality issues associated with our products and services, including defects in our engineering, design and manufacturing processes, as well as defects in third-party components included in our products. In order to address quality issues, we work extensively with our customers and suppliers and engage in product testing to determine the cause of the problem and to determine appropriate solutions. However, we may have limited ability to control quality issues, particularly with respect to faulty components manufactured by third parties. If we are unable to determine the cause, find an appropriate solution or offer a temporary fix (or "patch"), we may delay shipment to customers, which would delay revenue recognition and could adversely affect our revenue and reported results. Finding solutions to quality issues can be expensive and may result in additional warranty, replacement and other costs, adversely affecting our profits. If new or existing customers have difficulty operating our products, our operating margins could be adversely affected, and we could face possible claims if we fail to meet our customers' expectations. In addition, quality issues can impair our relationships with new or existing customers and adversely affect our brand and reputation, which could adversely affect our operating results.

Economic weakness and uncertainty could adversely affect our revenue, gross margin and expenses.

        Our revenue and gross margin depend significantly on worldwide economic conditions and the demand for computing and imaging products and services in the markets in which we compete. Economic weakness and uncertainty have resulted, and may result in the future, in decreased revenue, gross margin, earnings or growth rates and difficulty managing inventory levels. Sustained uncertainty about current global economic conditions may adversely affect demand for our products and services. Economic weakness and uncertainty also make it more difficult for us to make accurate forecasts of revenue, gross margin and expenses.

        We also have experienced, and may experience in the future, gross margin declines in certain businesses, reflecting the effect of items such as competitive pricing pressures, inventory write downs and increases in component and manufacturing costs resulting from higher labor and material costs borne by our manufacturers and suppliers that, as a result of competitive pricing pressures or other factors, we are unable to pass on to our customers. In addition, our business may be disrupted if we are unable to obtain equipment, parts and components from our suppliers—and our suppliers from their suppliers—due to the insolvency of key suppliers or the inability of key suppliers to obtain credit.

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        Economic weakness and uncertainty could cause our expenses to vary materially from our expectations. Any renewed financial turmoil affecting the banking system and financial markets or any significant financial services institution failures could negatively impact our treasury operations, as the financial condition of such parties may deteriorate rapidly and without notice in times of market volatility and disruption. Poor financial performance of asset markets could lead to increased pension and post-retirement benefit expenses. Other income and expense could vary materially from expectations depending on changes in interest rates, borrowing costs, currency exchange rates, hedging expenses and the fair value of derivative instruments. Economic downturns also may lead to restructuring actions and associated expenses.

We depend on third-party suppliers, and our revenue and gross margin could suffer if we fail to manage suppliers properly.

        Our operations depend on our ability to anticipate our needs for components, products and services and our suppliers' ability to deliver sufficient quantities of quality components, products and services at reasonable prices in time for us to meet critical schedules. Given the wide variety of systems, products and services that we offer, the large number of our suppliers and contract manufacturers that are dispersed across the globe, and the long lead times that are required to manufacture, assemble and deliver certain components and products, problems could arise in planning production and managing inventory levels that could seriously harm us. In addition, our ongoing project to improve the efficiency of our supply chain could cause supply disruptions and be more expensive, time consuming and resource-intensive than expected. Other supplier problems that we could face include component shortages, excess supply, risks related to the terms of our contracts with suppliers, risks associated with contingent workers, and risks related to our relationships with single source suppliers, as described below.

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Shortages.   Occasionally we may experience a shortage of, or a delay in receiving, certain components as a result of strong demand, capacity constraints, supplier financial weaknesses, inability of suppliers to borrow funds in the credit markets, disputes with suppliers (some of whom are also customers), disruptions in the operations of component suppliers, other problems experienced by suppliers or problems faced during the transition to new suppliers. In particular, our PC business relies heavily upon OMs to manufacture its products and is therefore dependent upon the continuing operations of those OMs to fulfill demand for our PC products. HP represents a substantial portion of the business of some of these OMs, and any changes to the nature or volume of business transacted by HP with a particular OM could adversely affect the operations and financial condition of the OM and lead to shortages or delays in receiving products from that OM. If shortages or delays persist, the price of these components may increase, we may be exposed to quality issues or the components may not be available at all. We may not be able to secure enough components at reasonable prices or of acceptable quality to build products or provide services in a timely manner in the quantities or according to the specifications needed. Accordingly, our revenue and gross margin could suffer as we could lose time-sensitive sales, incur additional freight costs or be unable to pass on price increases to our customers. If we cannot adequately address supply issues, we might have to reengineer some products or service offerings, resulting in further costs and delays.



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Oversupply.   In order to secure components for the provision of products or services, at times we may make advance payments to suppliers or enter into non-cancelable commitments with vendors. In addition, we may purchase components strategically in advance of demand to take advantage of favorable pricing or to address concerns about the availability of future components. If we fail to anticipate customer demand properly, a temporary oversupply could result in excess or obsolete components, which could adversely affect our gross margin.

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Contractual terms.   As a result of binding price or purchase commitments with vendors, we may be obligated to purchase components or services at prices that are higher than those available in the current market and be limited in our ability to respond to changing market conditions. In the event that we become committed to purchase components or services for prices in excess of the current market price, we may be at a disadvantage to competitors who have access to components or services at lower prices, and our gross margin could suffer. In addition, many of our competitors obtain products or components from the same OMs and suppliers that we utilize. Our competitors may obtain better pricing and other terms and more favorable allocations of products and components during periods of limited supply, and our ability to engage in relationships with certain OMs and suppliers could be limited. The practice employed by our PC business of purchasing product components and transferring those components to its OMs may create large supplier receivables with the OMs that, depending on the financial condition of the OMs, may have risk of uncollectability. In addition, certain of our OMs and suppliers may decide in the future to discontinue conducting business with us. Any of these actions by our competitors, OMs or suppliers could adversely affect our future operating results and financial condition.



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Contingent workers.   We also rely on third-party suppliers for the provision of contingent workers, and our failure to manage our use of such workers effectively could adversely affect our results of operations. We have been exposed to various legal claims relating to the status of contingent workers in the past and could face similar claims in the future. We may be subject to shortages, oversupply or fixed contractual terms relating to contingent workers, as described above. Our ability to manage the size of, and costs associated with, the contingent workforce may be subject to additional constraints imposed by local laws.



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Single source suppliers.   Our use of single source suppliers for certain components could exacerbate our supplier issues. We obtain a significant number of components from single sources due to technology, availability, price, quality or other considerations. For example, we rely on Intel Corporation to provide us with a sufficient supply of processors for many of our PCs, workstations, handheld computing devices and servers, and some of those processors are customized for our products. New products that we introduce may utilize custom components obtained from only one source initially until we have evaluated whether there is a need for additional suppliers. Replacing a single source supplier could delay production of some products as replacement suppliers initially may be subject to capacity constraints or other output limitations. For some components, such as customized components and some of the processors that we obtain from Intel, alternative sources may not exist or those alternative sources may be unable to produce the quantities of those components necessary to satisfy our production requirements. In addition, we sometimes purchase components from single source suppliers under short-term agreements that contain favorable pricing and other terms but that may be unilaterally modified or terminated by the supplier with limited notice and with little or no penalty. The performance of such single source suppliers under those agreements (and the renewal or extension of those agreements upon similar terms) may affect the quality, quantity and price of components to HP. The loss of a single source supplier, the deterioration of our relationship with a single source supplier, or any unilateral modification to the contractual terms under which we are supplied components by a single source supplier could adversely affect our revenue and gross margins.

Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

        Our worldwide operations could be subject to earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics or pandemics and other natural or manmade disasters or business interruptions, for

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which we are predominantly self-insured. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. Our corporate headquarters, and a portion of our research and development activities, are located in California, and other critical business operations and some of our suppliers are located in California and Asia, near major earthquake faults. In addition, all six of our principal worldwide IT data centers are located in the southern United States, making our operations more vulnerable to natural disasters or other business disruptions occurring in that geographical area. The manufacture of product components, the final assembly of our products and other critical operations are concentrated in certain geographic locations, including Shanghai, Singapore and India. We also rely on major logistics hubs primarily in Asia to manufacture and distribute our products and in the southwestern United States to import products into the Americas region. Our operations could be adversely affected if manufacturing, logistics or other operations in these locations are disrupted for any reason, including natural disasters, information technology system failures, military actions or economic, business, labor, environmental, public health, regulatory or political issues. The ultimate impact on us, our significant suppliers and our general infrastructure of being located near major earthquake faults and being consolidated in certain geographical areas is unknown, but our revenue, profitability and financial condition could suffer in the event of a major earthquake or other natural disaster.

System security risks, data protection breaches and systems integration issues could disrupt our internal operations or information technology services provided to customers, and any such disruption could reduce our expected revenue, increase our expenses, damage our reputation and adversely affect our stock price.

        Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate our confidential information or that of third parties, create system disruptions or cause shutdowns. Computer programmers and hackers also may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs that attack our products or otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities of our products. In addition, sophisticated hardware and operating system software and applications that we produce or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture, including "bugs" and other problems that could unexpectedly interfere with the operation of the system. The costs to us to eliminate or alleviate security problems, bugs, viruses, worms, malicious software programs and security vulnerabilities could be significant, and the efforts to address these problems could result in interruptions, delays, cessation of service and loss of existing or potential customers that may impede our sales, manufacturing, distribution or other critical functions.

        We manage and store various proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data relating to our business. In addition, our outsourcing services business routinely processes, stores and transmits large amounts of data for our clients, including sensitive and personally identifiable information. Breaches of our security measures or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about us or our clients, including the potential loss or disclosure of such information or data as a result of fraud, trickery or other forms of deception, could expose us, our customers or the individuals affected to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, result in litigation and potential liability for us, damage our brand and reputation or otherwise harm our business. We also could lose existing or potential customers for outsourcing services or other information technology solutions or incur significant expenses in connection with our customers' system failures or any actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in our products. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could be significant.

        Portions of our IT infrastructure also may experience interruptions, delays or cessations of service or produce errors in connection with systems integration or migration work that takes place from time to time. We may not be successful in implementing new systems and transitioning data which could cause business disruptions and be more expensive, time consuming, disruptive and resource-intensive. Such disruptions could adversely impact our ability to fulfill orders and interrupt other processes. Delayed sales, lower margins or lost customers resulting from these disruptions have adversely affected in the past, and in the future could adversely affect, our financial results, stock price and reputation.

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The revenue and profitability of our operations have historically varied, which makes our future financial results less predictable.

        Our revenue, gross margin and profit vary among our products and services, customer groups and geographic markets and therefore will likely be different in future periods than our current results. Our revenue depends on the overall demand for our products and services. Delays or reductions in IT spending could materially adversely affect demand for our products and services, which could result in a significant decline in revenues. Overall gross margins and profitability in any given period are dependent partially on the product, customer and geographic mix reflected in that period's net revenue. In particular, IPG and certain of its business units such as printer supplies contribute significantly to our gross margin and profitability. In addition, our services business has contributed significantly to our revenue and operating profit in recent periods. Competition, lawsuits, investigations and other risks affecting those businesses therefore may have a significant impact on our overall gross margin and profitability. Certain segments, and ESS in particular, have a higher fixed cost structure and more variation in gross margins across their business units and product portfolios than others and may therefore experience significant operating profit volatility on a quarterly basis. In addition, newer geographic markets may be relatively less profitable due to investments associated with entering those markets and local pricing pressures, and we may have difficulty establishing and maintaining the operating infrastructure necessary to support the high growth rate associated with some of those markets. Market trends, competitive pressures, commoditization of products, seasonal rebates, increased component or shipping costs, regulatory impacts and other factors may result in reductions in revenue or pressure on gross margins of certain segments in a given period, which may necessitate adjustments to our operations.

HP's stock price has historically fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate, which may make future prices of HP's stock difficult to predict.

        HP's stock price, like that of other technology companies, can be volatile. Some of the factors that could affect our stock price are:

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speculation in the press or investment community about, or actual changes in, our business, strategic position, market share, organizational structure, operations, financial condition, financial reporting and results, effectiveness of cost cutting efforts, value or liquidity of our investments, exposure to market volatility, prospects, business combination or investment transactions, or executive team;



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the announcement of new products, services, technological innovations or acquisitions by HP or its competitors;



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quarterly increases or decreases in revenue, gross margin, earnings or cash flow from operations, changes in estimates by the investment community or guidance provided by HP, and variations between actual and estimated financial results;



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announcements of actual and anticipated financial results by HP's competitors and other companies in the IT industry; and



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the timing and amount of share repurchases by HP.

        General or industry specific market conditions or stock market performance or domestic or international macroeconomic and geopolitical factors unrelated to HP's performance also may affect the price of HP common stock. For these reasons, investors should not rely on recent trends to predict future stock prices, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, following periods of volatility in a company's securities, securities class action litigation against a company is sometimes instituted. If instituted against HP, this type of litigation could result in substantial costs and the diversion of management time and resources.

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Our revenue, cost of sales, and expenses may suffer if we cannot continue to license or enforce the intellectual property rights on which our businesses depend or if third parties assert that we violate their intellectual property rights.

        We rely upon patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws in the United States, similar laws in other countries, and agreements with our employees, customers, suppliers and other parties, to establish and maintain intellectual property rights in the technology and products we sell, provide or otherwise use in our operations. However, any of our direct or indirect intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or such intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current market trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages, either of which could result in costly product redesign efforts, discontinuance of certain product offerings or other competitive harm. Further, the laws of certain countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Therefore, in certain jurisdictions we may be unable to protect our proprietary technology adequately against unauthorized third-party copying or use; this too could adversely affect our competitive position.

        Because of the rapid pace of technological change in the information technology industry, much of our business and many of our products rely on key technologies developed or licensed by third parties. We may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these third parties at all or on reasonable terms, or such third parties may demand cross-licenses to our intellectual property. In addition, it is possible that as a consequence of a merger or acquisition, third parties may obtain licenses to some of our intellectual property rights or our business may be subject to certain restrictions that were not in place prior to the transaction. Consequently, we may lose a competitive advantage with respect to these intellectual property rights or we may be required to enter into costly arrangements in order to terminate or limit these rights.

        Third parties also may claim that we or customers indemnified by us are infringing upon their intellectual property rights. For example, individuals and groups frequently purchase intellectual property assets for the sole purpose of asserting claims of infringement and attempting to extract settlements from large companies such as HP. The number of these claims has increased significantly in recent periods and may continue to increase in the future. If we cannot or do not license the infringed technology at all or on reasonable terms, or substitute similar technology from another source, our operations could be adversely affected. Even if we believe that the claims are without merit, they can be time-consuming and costly to defend and may divert management's attention and resources away from our business. Claims of intellectual property infringement also might require us to redesign affected products, enter into costly settlement or license agreements, pay costly damage awards, or face a temporary or permanent injunction prohibiting us from importing, marketing or selling certain of our products. Even if we have an agreement to indemnify us against such costs, the indemnifying party may be unable to uphold its contractual obligations to us.

        Finally, our results of operations and cash flows have been and could continue to be affected in certain periods and on an ongoing basis by the imposition, accrual and payment of copyright levies or similar fees. In certain countries (primarily in Europe), proceedings are ongoing or have been concluded involving HP in which groups representing copyright owners sought to impose upon and collect from HP levies upon equipment (such as PCs, MFDs and printers) alleged to be copying devices under applicable laws. Other such groups have also sought to modify existing levy schemes to increase the amount of the levies that can be collected from HP. Other countries that have not imposed levies on these types of devices are expected to extend existing levy schemes, and countries that do not currently have levy schemes may decide to impose copyright levies on these types of devices. The total amount of the copyright levies will depend on the types of products determined to be subject to the levy, the number of units of those products sold during the period covered by the levy, and the per unit fee for each type of product, all of which are affected by several factors, including the outcome of ongoing litigation involving HP and other industry participants and possible action by the legislative

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bodies in the applicable countries, and could be substantial. Consequently, the ultimate impact of these copyright levies or similar fees, and the ability of HP to recover such amounts through increased prices, remain uncertain.

Due to the international nature of our business, political or economic changes or other factors could harm our future revenue, costs and expenses and financial condition.

        Sales outside the United States make up approximately 65% of our net revenue. In addition, an increasing portion of our business activity is being conducted in emerging markets, including Brazil, Russia, India and China. Our future revenue, gross margin, expenses and financial condition could suffer due to a variety of international factors, including:

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ongoing instability or changes in a country's or region's economic or political conditions, including inflation, recession, interest rate fluctuations and actual or anticipated military or political conflicts;



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longer accounts receivable cycles and financial instability among customers;



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trade regulations and procedures and actions affecting production, pricing and marketing of products;



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local labor conditions and regulations, including local labor issues faced by specific HP suppliers and OMs;



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managing a geographically dispersed workforce;



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changes in the regulatory or legal environment;



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differing technology standards or customer requirements;



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import, export or other business licensing requirements or requirements relating to making foreign direct investments, which could increase our cost of doing business in certain jurisdictions, prevent us from shipping products to particular countries or markets, affect our ability to obtain favorable terms for components, increase our operating costs or lead to penalties or restrictions;



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difficulties associated with repatriating cash generated or held abroad in a tax-efficient manner and changes in tax laws; and



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fluctuations in freight costs, limitations on shipping and receiving capacity, and other disruptions in the transportation and shipping infrastructure at important geographic points of exit and entry for our products and shipments.

        The factors described above also could disrupt our product and component manufacturing and key suppliers located outside of the United States. For example, we rely on manufacturers in Taiwan for the production of notebook computers and other suppliers in Asia for product assembly and manufacture.

        As approximately 65% of our sales are from countries outside of the United States, other currencies, particularly the euro, the British pound, Chinese yuan renminbi and the Japanese yen, can have an impact on HP's results (expressed in U.S. dollars). Currency variations also contribute to variations in sales of products and services in impacted jurisdictions. Accordingly, fluctuations in foreign currency rates, most notably the strengthening of the dollar against the euro, could adversely affect our revenue growth in future periods. In addition, currency variations can adversely affect margins on sales of our products in countries outside of the United States and margins on sales of products that include components obtained from suppliers located outside of the United States. We use a combination of forward contracts and options designated as cash flow hedges to protect against foreign currency exchange rate risks. The effectiveness of our hedges depends on our ability to accurately forecast future cash flows, which is particularly difficult during periods of uncertain demand for our products and

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services and highly volatile exchange rates. As a result, we could incur significant losses from our hedging activities if our forecasts are incorrect. In addition, our hedging activities may be ineffective or may not offset any or more than a portion of the adverse financial impact resulting from currency variations. Gains or losses associated with hedging activities also may impact our revenue and to a lesser extent our cost of sales and financial condition.

        In many foreign countries, particularly in those with developing economies, it is common to engage in business practices that are prohibited by laws and regulations applicable to us, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. For example, as discussed in Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the German Public Prosecutor's Office, the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC have been investigating allegations that certain current and former employees of HP engaged in bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion or were involved in kickbacks or other improper payments. Although we implement policies and procedures designed to facilitate compliance with these laws, our employees, contractors and agents, as well as those companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations, may take actions in violation of our policies. Any such violation, even if prohibited by our policies, could have an adverse effect on our business and reputation.

If we fail to manage the distribution of our products and services properly, our revenue, gross margin and profitability could suffer.

        We use a variety of distribution methods to sell our products and services, including third-party resellers and distributors and both direct and indirect sales to both enterprise accounts and consumers. Successfully managing the interaction of our direct and indirect channel efforts to reach various potential customer segments for our products and services is a complex process. Moreover, since each distribution method has distinct risks and gross margins, our failure to implement the most advantageous balance in the delivery model for our products and services could adversely affect our revenue and gross margins and therefore our profitability. Other distribution risks are described below.

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Our financial results could be materially adversely affected due to channel conflicts or if the financial conditions of our channel partners were to weaken.

Our future operating results may be adversely affected by any conflicts that might arise between our various sales channels, the loss or deterioration of any alliance or distribution arrangement or the loss of retail shelf space. Moreover, some of our wholesale and retail distributors may have insufficient financial resources and may not be able to withstand changes in business conditions, including economic weakness and industry consolidation. Many of our significant distributors operate on narrow product margins and have been negatively affected by business pressures. Considerable trade receivables that are not covered by collateral or credit insurance are outstanding with our distribution and retail channel partners. Revenue from indirect sales could suffer, and we could experience disruptions in distribution if our distributors' financial conditions, abilities to borrow funds in the credit markets or operations weaken.

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Our inventory management is complex as we continue to sell a significant mix of products through distributors.

We must manage inventory effectively, particularly with respect to sales to distributors, which involves forecasting demand and pricing issues. Distributors may increase orders during periods of product shortages, cancel orders if their inventory is too high or delay orders in anticipation of new products. Distributors also may adjust their orders in response to the supply of our products and the products of our competitors and seasonal fluctuations in end-user demand. Our reliance upon indirect distribution methods may reduce visibility to demand and pricing issues, and therefore make forecasting more difficult. If we have excess or obsolete inventory, we may have to reduce our prices and write down inventory. Moreover, our use of indirect distribution channels may limit our willingness or ability to adjust prices quickly and otherwise to respond to

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pricing changes by competitors. We also may have limited ability to estimate future product rebate redemptions in order to price our products effectively.

If we do not effectively manage our product and services transitions, our revenue may suffer.

        Many of the industries in which we compete are characterized by rapid technological advances in hardware performance and software features and functionality; frequent introduction of new products; short product life cycles; and continual improvement in product price characteristics relative to product performance. Among the risks associated with the introduction of new products and services are delays in development or manufacturing, variations in costs, delays in customer purchases or reductions in price of existing products in anticipation of new introductions, difficulty in predicting customer demand for the new offerings and effectively managing inventory levels so that they are in line with anticipated demand, risks associated with customer qualification and evaluation of new products and the risk that new products may have quality or other defects or may not be supported adequately by application software. If we do not make an effective transition from existing products and services to future offerings, our revenue may decline.

        Our revenue and gross margin also may suffer due to the timing of product or service introductions by our suppliers and competitors. This is especially challenging when a product has a short life cycle or a competitor introduces a new product just before our own product introduction. Furthermore, sales of our new products and services may replace sales, or result in discounting of some of our current offerings, offsetting the benefit of even a successful introduction. There also may be overlaps in the current products and services of HP and portfolios acquired through mergers and acquisitions that we must manage. In addition, it may be difficult to ensure performance of new customer contracts in accordance with our revenue, margin and cost estimates and to achieve operational efficiencies embedded in our estimates. Given the competitive nature of our industry, if any of these risks materializes, future demand for our products and services and our results of operations may suffer.

Our revenue and profitability could suffer if we do not manage the risks associated with our IT services business properly.

        The size and significance of the IT services portion of our business has increased in recent periods. The risks that accompany that business differ from those of our other businesses and include the following:

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The pricing and other terms of some of our IT services agreements, particularly our long-term IT outsourcing services agreements, require us to make estimates and assumptions at the time we enter into these contracts that could differ from actual results. Any increased or unexpected costs or unanticipated delays in connection with the performance of these engagements, including delays caused by factors outside our control, could make these agreements less profitable or unprofitable, which would have an adverse affect on the profit margin of our IT services business.



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Some of our IT services agreements require significant investment in the early stages that is expected to be recovered through billings over the life of the agreement. These agreements often involve the construction of new IT systems and communications networks and the development and deployment of new technologies. Substantial performance risk exists in each agreement with these characteristics, and some or all elements of service delivery under these agreements are dependent upon successful completion of the development, construction and deployment phases. Any failure to perform satisfactorily under these agreements may expose us to legal liability, result in the loss of customers and harm our reputation, which could decrease the revenues and profitability of our IT services business.

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Some of our outsourcing services agreements contain pricing provisions that permit a client to request a benchmark study by a mutually acceptable third party. The benchmarking process typically compares the contractual price of our services against the price of similar services offered by other specified providers in a peer comparison group, subject to agreed upon adjustment and normalization factors. Generally, if the benchmarking study shows that our pricing has a difference outside a specified range, and the difference is not due to the unique requirements of the client, then the parties will negotiate in good faith any appropriate adjustments to the pricing. This may result in the reduction of our rates for the benchmarked services performed after the implementation of those pricing adjustments, which could decrease the revenues and profitability of our IT services business.

If we fail to comply with our customer contracts or government contracting regulations, our revenue could suffer.

        Our contracts with our customers may include unique and specialized performance requirements. In particular, our contracts with federal, state, provincial and local governmental customers are subject to various procurement regulations, contract provisions and other requirements relating to their formation, administration and performance. Any failure by us to comply with the specific provisions in our customer contracts or any violation of government contracting regulations could result in the imposition of various civil and criminal penalties, which may include termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments and, in the case of our government contracts, fines and suspension from future government contracting. In addition, we have in the past been, and may in the future be, subject to qui tam litigation brought by private individuals on behalf of the government relating to our government contracts, which could include claims for up to treble damages. Further, any negative publicity related to our customer contracts or any proceedings surrounding them, regardless of its accuracy, may damage our business by affecting our ability to compete for new contracts. If our customer contracts are terminated, if we are suspended from government work, or if our ability to compete for new contracts is adversely affected, we could suffer a reduction in expected revenue.

We make estimates and assumptions in connection with the preparation of HP's Consolidated Financial Statements, and any changes to those estimates and assumptions could adversely affect our results of operations.

        In connection with the preparation of HP's Consolidated Financial Statements, we use certain estimates and assumptions based on historical experience and other factors. Our most critical accounting estimates are described in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in this report. In addition, as discussed in Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, we make certain estimates, including decisions related to provisions for legal proceedings and other contingencies. While we believe that these estimates and assumptions are reasonable under the circumstances, they are subject to significant uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. Should any of these estimates and assumptions change or prove to have been incorrect, it could adversely affect our results of operations.

Unanticipated changes in HP's tax provisions, the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities could affect our profitability.

        We are subject to income and other taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our tax liabilities are affected by the amounts we charge for inventory, services, licenses, funding and other items in intercompany transactions. We are subject to ongoing tax audits in various jurisdictions. Tax authorities may disagree with our intercompany charges, cross-jurisdictional transfer pricing or other matters and assess additional taxes. We regularly assess the likely outcomes of these audits in order to determine the appropriateness of our tax provision. However, there can be no assurance that we will accurately predict the outcomes of these audits, and the amounts ultimately paid upon

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resolution of audits could be materially different from the amounts previously included in our income tax expense and therefore could have a material impact on our tax provision, net income and cash flows. In addition, our effective tax rate in the future could be adversely affected by changes to our operating structure, changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws and the discovery of new information in the course of our tax return preparation process. In particular, the carrying value of deferred tax assets, which are predominantly in the United States, is dependent on our ability to generate future taxable income in the United States. In addition, President Obama's administration has announced proposals for other U.S. tax legislation that, if adopted, could adversely affect our tax rate. There are also other tax proposals that have been introduced, that are being considered, or that have been enacted by the United States Congress or the legislative bodies in foreign jurisdictions that could affect our tax rate, the carrying value of deferred tax assets, or our other tax liabilities. For example, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has enacted tax legislation effective on January 1, 2011 that, in certain situations, would impose a new, temporary excise tax relating to our non-Puerto Rican subsidiaries that sell products manufactured by our Puerto Rican subsidiaries. Any of these changes could affect our profitability.

Our sales cycle makes planning and inventory management difficult and future financial results less predictable.

        In some of our segments, our quarterly sales often have reflected a pattern in which a disproportionate percentage of each quarter's total sales occur towards the end of such quarter. This uneven sales pattern makes prediction of revenue, earnings, cash flow from operations and working capital for each financial period difficult, increases the risk of unanticipated variations in quarterly results and financial condition and places pressure on our inventory management and logistics systems. If predicted demand is substantially greater than orders, there will be excess inventory. Alternatively, if orders substantially exceed predicted demand, we may not be able to fulfill all of the orders received in the last few weeks of each quarter. Other developments late in a quarter, such as a systems failure, component pricing movements, component shortages or global logistics disruptions, could adversely impact inventory levels and results of operations in a manner that is disproportionate to the number of days in the quarter affected.

        We experience some seasonal trends in the sale of our products that also may produce variations in quarterly results and financial condition. For example, sales to governments (particularly sales to the United States government) are often stronger in the third calendar quarter, consumer sales are often stronger in the fourth calendar quarter, and many customers whose fiscal and calendar years are the same spend their remaining capital budget authorizations in the fourth calendar quarter prior to new budget constraints in the first calendar quarter of the following year. European sales are often weaker during the summer months. Demand during the spring and early summer also may be adversely impacted by market anticipation of seasonal trends. Moreover, to the extent that we introduce new products in anticipation of seasonal demand trends, our discounting of existing products may adversely affect our gross margin prior to or shortly after such product launches. Typically, our third fiscal quarter is our weakest and our fourth fiscal quarter is our strongest. Many of the factors that create and affect seasonal trends are beyond our control.

Any failure by us to execute on our strategy for operational efficiency successfully could result in total costs and expenses that are greater than expected.

        We have adopted an operating framework that includes a disciplined focus on operational efficiency. As part of this framework, we have adopted several initiatives, including a multi-year program announced in 2006 to reduce real estate costs by consolidating several hundred HP real estate locations worldwide to fewer core sites, and a multi-year process of examining every function and every one of our businesses and functions in order to optimize efficiency and reduce cost. We have also

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implemented a workforce restructuring program in fiscal 2008 relating to our acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corporation ("EDS"), a workforce restructuring program in fiscal 2009 relating to our product businesses and a multi-year restructuring plan in the third quarter of fiscal 2010 relating to our enterprise services business.

        Our ability to achieve the anticipated cost savings and other benefits from these initiatives within the expected time frame is subject to many estimates and assumptions, including estimates and assumptions regarding the cost of consolidating real estate locations, the amount of accelerated depreciation or asset impairment to be incurred when we vacate facilities or cease using equipment before the end of their respective lease term or asset life, and the costs and timing of other activities in connection with these initiatives. These estimates and assumptions are subject to significant economic, competitive and other uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. In addition, there are significant risks associated with our workforce restructuring programs, including potential delays in the implementation of those programs in highly regulated locations outside of the United States, particularly in Europe and Asia, decreases in employee morale, and the failure to meet operational targets due to the loss of employees. If these estimates and assumptions are incorrect, if we experience delays, or if other unforeseen events occur, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

In order to be successful, we must attract, retain and motivate key employees, and failure to do so could seriously harm us.

        In order to be successful, we must attract, retain and motivate executives and other key employees, including those in managerial, technical, sales, marketing and IT support positions. Hiring and retaining qualified executives, engineers, skilled solutions providers in the IT support business and qualified sales representatives are critical to our future, and competition for experienced employees in the IT industry can be intense. In order to attract and retain executives and other key employees in a competitive marketplace, we must provide a competitive compensation package, including cash and share-based compensation. Our primary form of share-based incentive award is performance-based restricted stock units, which contain conditions relating to HP's long-term financial and stock price performance that makes the future value of those awards uncertain. If the anticipated value of such share-based incentive awards does not materialize, if our share-based compensation otherwise ceases to be viewed as a valuable benefit, or if our total compensation package is not viewed as being competitive, our ability to attract, retain, and motivate executives and key employees could be weakened. The failure to successfully hire executives and key employees or the loss of any executives and key employees could have a significant impact on our operations.

Terrorist acts, conflicts and wars may seriously harm our business and revenue, costs and expenses and financial condition and stock price.

        Terrorist acts, conflicts or wars (wherever located around the world) may cause damage or disruption to HP, our employees, facilities, partners, suppliers, distributors, resellers or customers. The potential for future attacks, the national and international responses to attacks or perceived threats to national security, and other actual or potential conflicts or wars, including the ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have created many economic and political uncertainties. In addition, as a major multinational company with headquarters and significant operations located in the United States, actions against or by the United States may impact our business or employees. Although it is impossible to predict the occurrences or consequences of any such events, they could result in a decrease in demand for our products, make it difficult or impossible to deliver products to our customers or to receive components from our suppliers, create delays and inefficiencies in our supply chain and result in the need to impose employee travel restrictions. We are predominantly uninsured for losses and interruptions caused by terrorist acts, conflicts and wars.

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Any failure by us to identify, manage, complete and integrate acquisitions, divestitures and other significant transactions successfully could harm our financial results, business and prospects, and the costs, expenses and other financial and operational effects associated with managing, completing and integrating acquisitions may result in financial results that are different than expected.

        As part of our business strategy, we frequently acquire complementary companies or businesses, divest non-core businesses or assets, enter into strategic alliances and joint ventures and make investments to further our business (collectively, "business combination and investment transactions"). In order to pursue this strategy successfully, we must identify suitable candidates for and successfully complete business combination and investment transactions, some of which may be large and complex, and manage post-closing issues such as the integration of acquired companies or employees. We may not fully realize all of the anticipated benefits of any business combination and investment transaction, and the timeframe for achieving benefits of a business combination and investment transaction may depend partially upon the actions of employees, suppliers or other third parties. In addition, the pricing and other terms of our contracts for business combination and investment transactions require us to make estimates and assumptions at the time we enter into these contracts, and, during the course of our due diligence, we may not identify all of the factors necessary to estimate our costs accurately. Any increased or unexpected costs, unanticipated delays or failure to meet contractual obligations could make these transactions less profitable or unprofitable. Moreover, if we fail to identify and successfully complete business combination and investment transactions that further our strategic objectives, we may be required to expend resources to develop products and technology internally, we may be at a competitive disadvantage or we may be adversely affected by negative market perceptions, any of which could adversely affect our revenue, gross margin and profitability.

        Integration issues are complex, time-consuming and expensive and, without proper planning and implementation, could significantly disrupt our business. The challenges involved in integration include:

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combining product offerings and entering into new markets in which we are not experienced;



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convincing customers and distributors that the transaction will not diminish client service standards or business focus, preventing customers and distributors from deferring purchasing decisions or switching to other suppliers (which could result in our incurring additional obligations in order to address customer uncertainty), minimizing sales force attrition and coordinating sales, marketing and distribution efforts;



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consolidating and rationalizing corporate IT infrastructure, which may include multiple legacy systems from various acquisitions and integrating software code;



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minimizing the diversion of management attention from ongoing business concerns;



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persuading employees that business cultures are compatible, maintaining employee morale and retaining key employees, engaging with employee works councils representing an acquired company's non-U.S. employees, integrating employees into HP, correctly estimating employee benefit costs and implementing restructuring programs;



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coordinating and combining administrative, manufacturing, research and development and other operations, subsidiaries, facilities and relationships with third parties in accordance with local laws and other obligations while maintaining adequate standards, controls and procedures;



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achieving savings from supply chain integration; and



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managing integration issues shortly after or pending the completion of other independent transactions.

        Managing business combination and investment transactions requires varying levels of management resources, which may divert our attention from other business operations. These business combination

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and investment transactions also have resulted, and in the future may result, in significant costs and expenses and charges to earnings, including those related to severance pay, early retirement costs, employee benefit costs, asset impairment charges, charges from the elimination of duplicative facilities and contracts, in-process research and development charges, inventory adjustments, assumed litigation and other liabilities, legal, accounting and financial advisory fees, and required payments to executive officers and key employees under retention plans. Moreover, HP has incurred and will incur additional depreciation and amortization expense over the useful lives of certain assets acquired in connection with business combination and investment transactions, and, to the extent that the value of goodwill or intangible assets with indefinite lives acquired in connection with a business combination and investment transaction becomes impaired, we may be required to incur additional material charges relating to the impairment of those assets. In order to complete an acquisition, we may issue common stock, potentially creating dilution for existing stockholders. In addition, we may borrow to finance an acquisition, and the amount and terms of any potential future acquisition-related borrowings, as well as other factors, could affect our liquidity and financial condition and potentially our credit ratings. Any potential future downgrades in our credit rating associated with an acquisition could adversely affect our ability to borrow and cost of borrowing and result in more restrictive borrowing terms. In addition, HP's effective tax rate on an ongoing basis is uncertain, and business combination and investment transactions could impact our effective tax rate. We also may experience risks relating to the challenges and costs of closing a business combination and investment transaction and the risk that an announced business combination and investment transaction may not close. As a result, any completed, pending or future transactions may contribute to financial results that differ from the investment community's expectations in a given quarter.

Unforeseen environmental costs could impact our future net earnings.

        We are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations concerning environmental protection, including laws addressing the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites, the content of our products and the recycling, treatment and disposal of our products including batteries. In particular, we face increasing complexity in our product design and procurement operations as we adjust to new and future requirements relating to the chemical and materials composition of our products, their safe use, the energy consumption associated with those products, climate change laws and regulations, and product take-back legislation. We could incur substantial costs, our products could be restricted from entering certain jurisdictions, and we could face other sanctions, if we were to violate or become liable under environmental laws or if our products become non-compliant with environmental laws. Our potential exposure includes fines and civil or criminal sanctions, third-party property damage, personal injury claims and clean up costs. Further, liability under some environmental laws relating to contaminated sites can be imposed retroactively, on a joint and several basis, and without any finding of noncompliance or fault. The amount and timing of costs under environmental laws are difficult to predict.

Some anti-takeover provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could impair a takeover attempt.

        We have provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each of which could have the effect of rendering more difficult or discouraging an acquisition of HP deemed undesirable by our Board of Directors. These include provisions:

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authorizing blank check preferred stock, which HP could issue with voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to our common stock;



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limiting the liability of, and providing indemnification to, HP's directors and officers;

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specifying that HP stockholders may take action only at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and otherwise in accordance with our bylaws and limiting the ability of our stockholders to call special meetings;



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requiring advance notice of proposals by HP stockholders for business to be conducted at stockholder meetings and for nominations of candidates for election to our Board of Directors;



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requiring a vote by the holders of two-thirds of HP's outstanding shares to amend certain bylaws relating to HP stockholder meetings, the Board of Directors and indemnification; and



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controlling the procedures for conduct of HP Board and stockholder meetings and election, appointment and removal of HP directors.

        These provisions, alone or together, could deter or delay hostile takeovers, proxy contests and changes in control or management of HP. As a Delaware corporation, HP also is subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prevents some stockholders from engaging in certain business combinations without approval of the holders of substantially all of HP's outstanding common stock.

        Any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control of HP could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of HP common stock and also could affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for HP common stock.