HP INC (HPQ) FY 2023 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The discussion of financial condition and results of our operations that follows provides information that will assist the reader in understanding our Consolidated Financial Statements, the changes in certain key items in those financial statements from year to year, and the primary factors that accounted for those changes, as well as how certain accounting principles, policies and estimates affect our Consolidated Financial Statements. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes that appear elsewhere in this document. This section generally discusses the results of operations for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 compared to the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022. For a discussion of fiscal year ended October 31, 2022 compared to the fiscal year ended October 31, 2021, please refer to Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022, which also should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022 as it contained certain revisions to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal years ended 2022 and 2021.
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HP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
OVERVIEW
We are a leading global provider of personal computing and other digital access devices, imaging and printing products, and related technologies, solutions, and services. We sell to individual consumers, SMBs and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health, and education sectors. We have three reportable segments: Personal Systems, Printing, and Corporate Investments. The Personal Systems segment offers commercial and consumer desktops and notebooks, workstations, thin clients, commercial mobility devices, retail POS systems, displays, hybrid systems (includes video conferencing cameras and solutions, headsets, voice, and related software capabilities), software, support, and services. The Printing segment provides consumer and commercial printer hardware, supplies, solutions and services. Corporate Investments include certain business incubation and investment projects.
•In Personal Systems, our long-term strategic focus is on:
◦profitable growth through innovation, market segmentation and simplification of our portfolio
◦enhanced innovation in multi-operating systems, multi-architecture, geography, customer segments and other key attributes;
◦investing in endpoint services and solutions. We are focused on services, including Device as a Service, as the market shifts to contractual solutions, and accelerating in attractive adjacencies such as hybrid systems; and
◦driving innovation to enable productivity and collaboration with the PCs becoming essential for hybrid work, learn and play.
We believe that we are well positioned due to our competitive product lineup along with our recent acquisitions enhancing our portfolio of hybrid systems and remote-computing solutions.
•In Printing, our long-term strategic focus is on:
◦offering innovative printing solutions and contractual solutions to serve consumers, SMBs and large enterprises through our Instant Ink Services, HP+ and Managed Print Services solutions;
◦providing digital printing solutions for industrial graphics segments and applications including commercial publishing, labels, packaging, and textiles; and
◦expanding our footprint in 3D printing across digital manufacturing and strategic applications.
We are committed to growing our hybrid systems, gaming, workforce solutions, consumer subscriptions, industrial graphics and our 3D and personalization businesses at a rate faster than our core business with accretive margins in the longer term. We believe our ability to innovate will help us gain momentum in growth areas like hybrid systems and gaming, and we see significant opportunities to drive greater recurring revenues across Personal Systems and Printing. Our acquisition of Poly adds to our growth portfolio by bringing industry-leading video conferencing cameras and solutions, headsets, voice and software capabilities. Our Workforce Solutions organization drives integration across our commercial services, software and security portfolio. We continue to build on strong portfolios like Instant Ink to grow our Consumer Subscription business. In Industrial Graphics, we are driving the shift from analog to digital in segments like labels and packaging. In 3D and Personalization, we are creating end-to-end solutions that can capture more value with our differentiated technology.
We continue to experience challenges that are representative of the trends and uncertainties that may affect our industry, generally, and our business and financial results, specifically, and we expect these challenges to continue in the short-term. One set of challenges relates to the current macroeconomic environment and the adverse impact on demand for certain of our products. A second set of challenges relates to changes in the competitive landscape. Our primary competitors are exerting competitive pressure in targeted areas and are entering new markets, our emerging competitors are introducing new technologies and business models, and our alliance partners in some businesses are increasingly becoming our competitors in others. A third set of challenges relates to business model changes and our go-to-market execution in an evolving distribution and reseller landscape, with increasing online and omnichannel presence. Additional challenges we face at the segment level are set forth below.
•In Personal Systems, we face challenges with a competitive pricing environment and demand softness.
•In Printing, we face challenges from our competitors with a favorable foreign currency environment and non-original supplies (which includes imitation, refill, or remanufactured alternatives). We also obtain many Printing components from single source suppliers due to technology, availability, price, quality, or other considerations.
To address these challenges, we continue to pursue innovation with a view towards developing new products and services aligned with generating market demand and meeting the needs of our customers and partners. In addition, we continue to work on improving our operations and adapting our business models, with a particular focus on enhancing our end-to-end processes, analytics, efficiencies and simplification of our product portfolio. We also continue to work on optimizing our sales coverage models, aligning our sales incentives with our strategic goals, improving channel execution and inventory, production and backlog management,
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HP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations
strengthening our capabilities in our areas of strategic focus, effective cost management, strengthening our pricing strategy, and developing and capitalizing on market opportunities.
Macroeconomic Environment
Our business and financial performance also depend significantly on worldwide economic conditions. We face global macroeconomic challenges including ongoing effects of geopolitical conflicts (including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tensions across the Taiwan Strait, the Israel-Hamas conflict and other hostilities in the Middle East), uncertainty in the markets, volatility in exchange rates, inflationary trends and evolving dynamics in the global trade environment. We also experience seasonality in the sale of our products and services which may be affected by general economic conditions. During fiscal year 2023, we observed continued market uncertainty, cautious commercial spending on information technology hardware, lower discretionary consumer spending, inflationary pressures, and foreign currency fluctuations. These market pressures created new and different demand dynamics which had significant impacts on our financial results. Geographically, we observed these macroeconomic dynamics negatively impacting certain markets, particularly China. However, in the second half of fiscal year 2023 we also observed uneven recovery in the markets.
During fiscal year 2023, we experienced overall demand weakness and elevated industry wide reseller inventory. However, towards the end of fiscal year 2023 inventory began to stabilize and we exited the fiscal year with normalized inventory levels. The decline in Personal Systems revenue was in line with market trends. In Printing, we saw gradual and uneven recovery in Commercial Printing driven by hybrid work trends. We experienced a competitive pricing environment across Personal Systems and Printing. These markets declined during fiscal year 2023, however we expect to see stabilization during fiscal 2024.
We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We have a large global presence, with approximately 65% of our net revenue coming from outside the United States. As a result, our financial results can be, and particularly in recent periods have been, negatively impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.
For a further discussion of trends, uncertainties and other factors that could impact our operating results, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of Part I in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Transformation Update
In November 2022, we announced our Future Ready Plan (the “Fiscal 2023 Plan”) to become a more digitally enabled company, focus investments on key growth opportunities and simplify our operating model. The Fiscal 2023 plan is expected to run through end of fiscal 2025. The three key elements of our Fiscal 2023 plan are digital transformation, portfolio optimization, and operational efficiency. We expect to continue to invest some of the savings from these efforts across our businesses as well as partially use them to offset headwinds as a result of macroeconomic factors.
We exceeded our gross annual run-rate structural cost savings target for fiscal year 2023. We enhanced our digital capabilities in Workforce Solutions and continued to leverage AI to positively impact both our products and solutions. Additionally, we are reducing portfolio complexity, improving continuity of supply, and increasing our forecast accuracy across our business to drive reduction in our cost of sales and operating expenses. We also continued to reduce our structural cost through headcount reductions and executed a significant portion of the early retirement program in second quarter of fiscal 2023 and are on track to achieve our overall headcount reduction goal.
See “Risk Factors— We may not achieve some or all of the expected benefits of our restructuring plans and our restructuring may adversely affect our business” in Item 1A, which is incorporated herein by reference. For more information on our Fiscal 2023 Plan, see Note 3, “Restructuring and Other Charges,” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 1 of Part I of this report, which is incorporated herein by reference.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
General
Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), which require management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, net revenue and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent liabilities. Critical accounting estimates are those that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these estimates with the Audit Committee of HP’s Board of Directors. Management believes that the accounting estimates employed and the resulting amounts are reasonable; however, actual results may differ from these estimates.
A summary of our significant accounting policies is included in Note 1, “Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference. Management believes the following accounting policies reflect the critical accounting estimates used in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements.
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HP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Revenue Recognition - Variable Consideration
We recognize revenue depicting the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that may include variable consideration. When the transaction price includes a variable amount, we estimate the amount using either the expected value or most likely amount method. We reduce the transaction price at the time of revenue recognition for customer and distributor programs and incentive offerings, rebates, promotions, other volume-based incentives and expected returns. We use estimates to determine the expected variable consideration for such programs based on historical experience, expected consumer behavior and market conditions.
Retirement and Post-Retirement Benefits
Our pension and other post-retirement benefit costs and obligations depend on various assumptions. Our major assumptions relate primarily to discount rates, mortality rates, expected increases in compensation levels and the expected long-term return on plan assets. The discount rate assumption is based on current investment yields of high-quality fixed-income securities with maturities similar to the expected benefits payment period. Mortality rates help predict the expected life of plan participants and are based on a historical demographic study of the plan. The expected increase in the compensation levels assumption reflects our long-term actual experience and future expectations. The expected long-term return on plan assets is determined based on asset allocations, historical portfolio results, historical asset correlations and management’s expected returns for each asset class. We evaluate our expected return assumptions annually including reviewing current capital market assumptions to assess the reasonableness of the expected long-term return on plan assets. In any fiscal year, significant differences may arise between the actual return and the expected long-term return on plan assets. Historically, differences between the actual return and expected long-term return on plan assets have resulted from changes in target or actual asset allocation, short-term performance relative to expected long-term performance, and to a lesser extent, differences between target and actual investment allocations, the timing of benefit payments compared to expectations, and the use of derivatives intended to effect asset allocation changes or hedge certain investment or liability exposures. For the recognition of net periodic benefit (credit) cost, the calculation of the expected long-term return on plan assets uses the fair value of plan assets as of the beginning of the fiscal year unless updated as a result of interim re-measurement.
Our major assumptions vary by plan, and the weighted-average rates used are set forth in Note 4, “Retirement and Post-Retirement Benefit Plans” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference. The following table provides the impact a change of 25 basis points in each of the weighted-average assumptions of the discount rate, expected increase in compensation levels and expected long-term return on plan assets would have had on our net periodic benefit (credit) cost for fiscal year 2023:
| Change in Net Periodic Benefit Cost in millions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assumptions: | ||
| Discount rate | $ | 5 |
| Expected increase in compensation levels | $ | 1 |
| Expected long-term return on plan assets | $ | 14 |
Taxes on Earnings
As a result of certain employment actions and capital investments we have undertaken, income from manufacturing activities in certain jurisdictions is subject to reduced tax rates and, in some cases, is wholly exempt from taxes for fiscal years through 2029.
Material changes in our estimates of cash, working capital and long-term investment requirements in the various jurisdictions in which we do business could impact how future earnings are repatriated to the United States, and our related future effective tax rate.
We calculate our current and deferred tax provisions based on estimates and assumptions that could differ from the final positions reflected in our income tax returns. We adjust our current and deferred tax provisions based on income tax returns which are generally filed in the third or fourth quarters of the subsequent fiscal year.
We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which we expect the differences to reverse.
We record a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that we are more likely than not to realize. In determining the need for a valuation allowance, we consider future market growth, forecasted earnings, future taxable income, the mix of earnings in the jurisdictions in which we operate and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. In the event we were to determine that it is more likely than not that we will be unable to realize all or part of our deferred tax assets in the future, we would increase the valuation allowance and recognize a corresponding charge to earnings or other comprehensive income in the period in which we make such a determination. Likewise, if we later determine that we are more likely than not to realize the deferred tax assets, we would
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HP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations
reverse the applicable portion of the previously recognized valuation allowance. In order for us to realize our deferred tax assets, we must be able to generate sufficient taxable income in the jurisdictions in which the deferred tax assets are located.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States and approximately 60 other countries, and we are subject to routine corporate income tax audits in many of these jurisdictions. We believe that positions taken on our tax returns are fully supported, but tax authorities may challenge these positions, and our positions may not be fully sustained on examination by the relevant tax authorities. Accordingly, our income tax provision includes amounts intended to satisfy assessments that may result from these challenges. Our accrual for uncertain tax positions is attributable primarily to uncertainties concerning the tax treatment of our domestic operations, including the allocation of income among different jurisdictions, intercompany transactions, pension and related interest. We adjust our uncertain tax positions to reflect the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel, and other information and events pertaining to a particular audit. Determining the appropriate provision for potential deficiencies or reductions in tax benefits that could reasonably result from an audit requires management judgments and estimates, and income tax audits are inherently unpredictable. We may not accurately predict the outcomes of these audits, and the amounts ultimately paid on resolution of an audit could be materially different from the amounts previously included in our income tax provision and, therefore, could have a material impact on our provision for taxes, net earnings and cash flows. For a further discussion on taxes on earnings, refer to Note 6, “Taxes on Earnings” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Product Inventory
We state our inventory at the lower of cost or market on a first-in, first-out basis. We make adjustments to reduce the cost of inventory to its net realizable value at the product group level for estimated excess or obsolescence considering judgments related to future demand and market conditions. Factors influencing these adjustments include changes in demand, ageing of inventory, technological changes, supply constraints, product life cycle and development plans, component cost trends, product pricing, physical deterioration and quality issues.
Goodwill
We review goodwill for impairment annually during our fourth quarter and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of goodwill may not be recoverable. A qualitative assessment may first be performed to determine if the fair value of a reporting unit is more likely than not to be less than its carrying amount. Judgment in the assessment of qualitative factors of impairment may include changes in business climate, market conditions, or other events impacting the reporting unit. If we determine an impairment is more likely than not based on our qualitative assessment, a quantitative assessment of impairment is performed. However, we may also elect to bypass the qualitative assessment and perform a quantitative assessment.
Performing a quantitative goodwill impairment test includes the determination of the fair value of a reporting unit and involves significant estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions include, among others, revenue growth rates and operating margins used to calculate projected future cash flows, risk-adjusted discount rates, future economic and market conditions, and the determination of appropriate market comparables. If we determine the carrying amount exceeds fair value, goodwill is impaired and the excess is recognized as an impairment loss.
Loss Contingencies
We are involved in various lawsuits, claims, investigations and proceedings including those consisting of intellectual property (“IP”), commercial, securities, employment, employee benefits and environmental matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. We record a liability when we believe that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Significant judgment is required to determine both the probability of having incurred a liability and the estimated amount of the liability. We review these matters at least quarterly and adjust these liabilities to reflect the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel and other updated information and events, pertaining to a particular case. Litigation is inherently unpredictable. However, we believe we have valid defenses with respect to legal matters pending against us. Nevertheless, cash flows or results of operations could be materially affected in any particular period by the resolution of one or more of these contingencies. We believe we have recorded adequate provisions for any such matters and, as of October 31, 2023, it was not reasonably possible that a material loss had been incurred in excess of the amounts recognized in our financial statements.
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
For a summary of recent accounting pronouncements applicable to our consolidated financial statements see Note 1, “Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Revenue from our international operations has historically represented, and we expect will continue to represent, a majority of our overall net revenue. As a result, our net revenue growth has been impacted, and we expect it will continue to be impacted, by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. In order to provide a framework for assessing performance excluding the impact of
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foreign currency fluctuations, we supplement the year-over-year percentage change in net revenue with the year-over-year percentage change in net revenue on a constant currency basis, which excludes the effect of foreign currency exchange fluctuations calculated by translating current period revenues using monthly exchange rates from the comparative period and excluding any hedging impact, and without adjusting for any repricing or demand impacts from changes in foreign currency exchange rates. This information is provided so that net revenue can be viewed with and without the effect of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, which is consistent with how management evaluates our net revenue results and trends, as management does not believe that the excluded items are reflective of ongoing operating results. The constant currency measures are provided in addition to, and not as a substitute for, the year-over-year percentage change in net revenue on a GAAP basis. Other companies may calculate and define similarly labeled items differently, which may limit the usefulness of this measure for comparative purposes.
Results of operations in dollars and as a percentage of net revenue were as follows:
| For the fiscal years ended October 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dollars | % of Net Revenue | Dollars | % of Net Revenue | Dollars | % of Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||
| Dollars in millions | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenue | $ | 53,718 | 100.0 | % | $ | 62,910 | 100.0 | % | $ | 63,460 | 100.0 | % | ||||||||
| Cost of revenue | 42,210 | 78.6 | % | 50,647 | 80.5 | % | 50,053 | 78.9 | % | |||||||||||
| Gross profit | 11,508 | 21.4 | % | 12,263 | 19.5 | % | 13,407 | 21.1 | % | |||||||||||
| Research and development | 1,578 | 2.9 | % | 1,653 | 2.6 | % | 1,848 | 2.9 | % | |||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 5,357 | 10.0 | % | 5,264 | 8.4 | % | 5,727 | 9.0 | % | |||||||||||
| Restructuring and other charges | 527 | 1.0 | % | 218 | 0.3 | % | 251 | 0.4 | % | |||||||||||
| Acquisition and divestiture charges | 240 | 0.4 | % | 318 | 0.5 | % | 68 | 0.1 | % | |||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 350 | 0.7 | % | 228 | 0.4 | % | 154 | 0.2 | % | |||||||||||
| Russia exit charges | — | — | % | 23 | — | % | — | — | % | |||||||||||
| Earnings from operations | 3,456 | 6.4 | % | 4,559 | 7.2 | % | 5,359 | 8.4 | % | |||||||||||
| Interest and other, net | (519) | (1.0) | % | (235) | (0.4) | % | 2,209 | 3.5 | % | |||||||||||
| Earnings before taxes | 2,937 | 5.4 | % | 4,324 | 6.8 | % | 7,568 | 11.9 | % | |||||||||||
| Benefit from (provision for) taxes | 326 | 0.6 | % | (1,192) | (1.9) | % | (1,027) | (1.6) | % | |||||||||||
| Net earnings | $ | 3,263 | 6.0 | % | $ | 3,132 | 4.9 | % | $ | 6,541 | 10.3 | % |
Net Revenue
In fiscal year 2023, total net revenue decreased 14.6% (decreased 11.7% on a constant currency basis) as compared to the prior-year period. Net revenue from the United States decreased 12.9% to $18.8 billion, and outside of the United States decreased 15.5% to $34.9 billion. The decrease in net revenue was primarily driven by demand softness and foreign currency impacts in both Personal Systems and Printing as well as lower average selling prices (“ASPs”) in Personal Systems.
A detailed discussion of the factors contributing to the changes in segment net revenue is included under “Segment Information” below.
Gross Margin
For fiscal year 2023, gross margin increased by 1.9 percentage points, primarily driven by mix shift towards Printing, and lower commodity and logistics cost in Personal Systems, partially offset by foreign currency impacts and competitive pricing across Personal Systems and Printing.
A detailed discussion of the factors contributing to the changes in segment gross margins is included under “Segment Information” below.
Operating Expenses
Research and development (“R&D”)
R&D expense decreased 4.5% in fiscal year 2023, primarily due to disciplined cost management and higher R&D partner funding, partially offset by the Poly acquisition.
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Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”)
SG&A expense increased 1.8% in fiscal year 2023, primarily due the Poly acquisition partially offset by disciplined cost management including Future Ready transformation savings, and reductions in marketing spend.
Restructuring and other charges
Restructuring and other charges relate primarily to the Fiscal 2023 Plan. For more information, see Note 3, “Restructuring and Other Charges”, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of Part II of this report, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Acquisition and divestiture charges
Acquisition and divestiture charges primarily include, direct third-party professional and legal fees, and integration and divestiture-related costs, as well as non-cash adjustments to the fair value of certain acquired assets such as inventory and certain compensation charges related to cash settlement of restricted stock units and performance-based restricted stock units from acquisitions. Acquisition and divestiture charges decreased by $78 million in the fiscal year 2023, primarily due to the Poly acquisition.
Amortization of intangible assets
Amortization of intangible assets relates primarily to intangible assets resulting from acquisitions. Amortization of Intangible assets increased by $122 million in the fiscal year 2023, primarily due to the Poly acquisition.
Interest and other, net
Interest and other, net for the fiscal year 2023 increased $284 million primarily due to higher interest expense on debt, factoring costs, and retirement incentive benefits associated with our EER program, partially offset by the net gain on extinguishment of debt.
Provision for taxes
Our effective tax rate was (11.1)% in fiscal year 2023. The effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to impacts of internal reorganization, changes in valuation allowances, and favorable tax rates associated with certain earnings from HP’s operations in lower-tax jurisdictions throughout the world. The jurisdictions with favorable tax rates that had the most significant impact on our effective tax rate in the periods presented were Singapore, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico.
For a reconciliation of our effective tax rate to the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% in fiscal year 2023, and further explanation of our provision for income taxes, see Note 6, “Taxes on Earnings” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In fiscal year 2023, we recorded $1.1 billion of net income tax benefits related to discrete items in the provision for taxes. This amount included $726 million of tax effects related to internal reorganization, $255 million related to changes in valuation allowances, $101 million related to restructuring charges, $58 million related to the filing of tax returns in various jurisdictions, and $42 million related to acquisition charges. These benefits were partially offset by income tax charges of $60 million related to audit settlements in various jurisdictions, $27 million of uncertain tax position charges, and $25 million related to extinguishment of debt. In fiscal year 2023, excess tax benefits associated with stock options, restricted stock units and performance-adjusted restricted stock units were immaterial.
On August 16, 2022, the U.S. government enacted the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “Inflation Reduction Act”) into law. The Inflation Reduction Act includes a new corporate alternative minimum tax (the “Corporate AMT”) of 15% on the adjusted financial statement income (“AFSI”) of corporations with average AFSI exceeding $1.0 billion over a three-year period. The Corporate AMT is effective for the Company beginning in fiscal 2024 and we have elected to treat any future Corporate AMT as period costs in the period they arise. If we pay the Corporate AMT it will result in a Corporate AMT credit that can be carried forward indefinitely. We will continue to analyze our ability to apply the credit against our regular federal tax liability in future years. There are a number of uncertainties and ambiguities as to the interpretation and application of the Corporate AMT, and it is possible that any future guidance with respect to the interpretation and application of the Corporate AMT could further impact our liability for corporate taxes.
In December 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) enacted model rules for a new global minimum tax framework (“BEPS Pillar Two”), and various governments around the world have enacted, or are in the process of enacting, legislation on this. We are in the process of assessing the tax effects of Pillar Two legislation for when it comes into effect, and we plan to treat the tax as a period cost. Due to the complexities in applying the legislation, the quantitative impact of the enacted or substantively enacted legislation is not yet reasonably estimable.
Segment Information
A description of the products and services for each segment can be found in Note 2, “Segment Information,” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference. Future changes to this organizational structure may result in changes to the segments disclosed.
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Personal Systems
| For the fiscal years ended October 31 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Dollars in millions | |||||||||
| Net revenue | $ | 35,684 | $ | 44,011 | $ | 43,332 | |||
| Earnings from operations | $ | 2,129 | $ | 2,761 | $ | 3,152 | |||
| Earnings from operations as a % of net revenue | 6.0% | 6.3 | % | 7.3% |
The components of net revenue and the weighted net revenue change by business unit were as follows:
| For the fiscal years ended October 31 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Revenue | Weighted Net Revenue Change Percentage Points(1) | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||
| In millions | ||||||||||||||||
| Commercial PS | $ | 24,712 | $ | 29,616 | $ | 26,822 | (11.1) | 6.3 | ||||||||
| Consumer PS | 10,972 | 14,395 | 16,510 | (7.8) | (4.8) | |||||||||||
| Total Personal Systems | $ | 35,684 | $ | 44,011 | $ | 43,332 | (18.9) | 1.5 |
(1) Weighted Net Revenue Change Percentage Points measures contribution of each business unit towards overall segment revenue growth. It is calculated by dividing the change in revenue of each business unit from the prior-year period by total segment revenue for the prior-year period.
Fiscal year 2023 compared with fiscal year 2022
Personal Systems net revenue decreased 18.9% (decreased 15.5% on a constant currency basis) in the fiscal year 2023, as compared to the prior-year period. The net revenue decrease was primarily due to a 14.5% decrease in commercial and consumer client PCs unit volume due to demand softness and a decline in ASPs by 8.0%, partially offset by the Poly acquisition. The decline in ASPs was due to foreign currency impacts, unfavorable mix shift and competitive pricing.
Commercial PS revenue decreased 16.6% primarily driven by a decline in units of 14.1% due to demand softness and a decrease of 7.1% in ASPs, partially offset by an increase in hybrid systems revenue driven by the Poly acquisition. The lower ASPs were driven by unfavorable mix shift and foreign currency impacts.
Consumer PCs net revenue decreased 23.8% driven by a decline in units of 15.2% due to demand softness and a decrease of 10.1% in ASPs. The lower ASPs were driven by competitive pricing and foreign currency impacts, partially offset by favorable mix shifts.
Personal Systems earnings from operations as a percentage of net revenue decreased by 0.3 percentage points. The decrease was driven by an increase in operating expenses as a percentage of revenue, partially offset by an increase in gross margin. Gross margin increased primarily due to lower commodity and logistics cost, partially offset by foreign currency impacts and competitive pricing. Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue increased primarily driven by variable compensation and the acquisition of Poly, partially offset by disciplined cost management including reductions in marketing initiatives and Future Ready transformation savings.
Printing
| For the fiscal years ended October 31 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||
| Dollars in millions | ||||||||
| Net revenue | $ | 18,029 | $ | 18,902 | $ | 20,128 | ||
| Earnings from operations | $ | 3,399 | $ | 3,619 | $ | 3,647 | ||
| Earnings from operations as a % of net revenue | 18.9% | 19.1% | 18.1% |
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The components of the net revenue and weighted net revenue change by business unit were as follows:
| For the fiscal years ended October 31 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Revenue | Weighted Net Revenue Change Percentage Points(1) | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||
| In millions | ||||||||||||||||
| Supplies | $ | 11,452 | $ | 11,761 | $ | 12,632 | (1.6) | (4.3) | ||||||||
| Commercial Printing | 4,183 | 4,225 | 4,209 | (0.2) | 0.1 | |||||||||||
| Consumer Printing | 2,394 | 2,916 | 3,287 | (2.8) | (1.8) | |||||||||||
| Total Printing | $ | 18,029 | $ | 18,902 | $ | 20,128 | (4.6) | (6.0) |
(1) Weighted Net Revenue Change Percentage Points measures the contribution of each business unit towards overall segment revenue growth. It is calculated by dividing the change in revenue of each business unit from the prior period by total segment revenue for the prior-year period.
Fiscal year 2023 compared with fiscal year 2022
Printing net revenue decreased 4.6% (decreased 2.9% on a constant currency basis) for fiscal year 2023 as compared to the prior-year period. The decline in net revenue was primarily driven by a decline in Consumer Printing, Supplies, and unfavorable foreign currency impacts. Net revenue for Supplies decreased 2.6%, primarily due to decline in the installed base, usage, and foreign currency. Printer unit volume decreased 10.1% due to demand weakness and ASPs remained flat for the period. Print hardware ASPs remained flat due to unfavorable foreign currency impacts offset by favorable mix shifts in Commercial Printing.
Net revenue for Commercial Printing decreased by 1.0%, primarily due to a 10.2% decrease in printer unit volume, partially offset by an 8.9% increase in ASPs. The increase in ASPs was primarily driven by mix shifts, partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency impacts and competitive pricing.
Net revenue for Consumer Printing decreased 17.9%, primarily due to a 10.1% decrease in printer unit volume and an 8.8% decrease in ASP’s. The decrease in ASPs was primarily driven by competitive pricing, especially by our Japanese competitors benefiting from a favorable foreign currency environment, and unfavorable foreign currency impacts, partially offset by favorable mix shifts.
Printing earnings from operations as a percentage of net revenue decreased by 0.2 percentage points for fiscal year 2023, primarily due to a decline in gross margin, partially offset by lower operating expenses as a percentage of revenue. The decline in gross margin was primarily driven by competitive pricing and foreign currency impacts, partially offset by favorable mix shift. Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue decreased primarily due to lower variable compensation and disciplined cost management including Future Ready transformation savings.
Corporate Investments
The loss from operations in Corporate Investments for the fiscal year 2023 was primarily due to expenses associated with our incubation projects.
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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
We use cash generated by operations as our primary source of liquidity. We believe that current cash, cash flow from operating activities, new borrowings, available commercial paper authorization and the credit facilities will be sufficient to meet HP’s operating cash requirements, planned capital expenditures, interest and principal payments on all borrowings, pension and post-retirement funding requirements, authorized share repurchases and annual dividend payments for the foreseeable future. Additionally, if suitable acquisition opportunities arise, the Company may obtain all or a portion of the required financing through additional borrowings. While our access to capital markets may be constrained and our cost of borrowing may increase under certain business, market and economic conditions, our access to a variety of funding sources to meet our liquidity needs is designed to facilitate continued access to capital resources under all such conditions. Our liquidity is subject to various risks including the risks identified in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Item 1A and market risks identified in the section entitled “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” in Item 7A, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Amounts held outside of the U.S. are generally utilized to support non-U.S. liquidity needs and may from time to time be distributed to the U.S. Repatriations of amounts held outside the U.S. generally will not be taxable from a U.S. federal tax perspective but may be subject to state income or foreign withholding tax upon repatriation. As we evaluate the future cash needs of our operations, we may revise the amount of foreign earnings considered to be permanently reinvested in our foreign subsidiaries and how to utilize such funds, including reducing our gross debt level, or other uses.
Liquidity
Our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and total debt were as follows:
| As of October 31 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| In millions | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 3,107 | $ | 3,145 | ||
| Restricted cash | $ | 125 | $ | — | ||
| Total debt | $ | 9,484 | $ | 11,014 |
Our key cash flow metrics were as follows:
| For the fiscal years ended October 31 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||
| In millions | ||||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 3,571 | $ | 4,463 | $ | 6,409 | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (590) | (3,549) | (1,012) | |||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (2,894) | (2,068) | (5,962) | |||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $ | 87 | $ | (1,154) | $ | (565) |
Operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities decreased by $0.9 billion for fiscal year 2023 due to lower earnings before taxes, working capital management activities, and changes in receivables from contract manufacturers.
Key working capital metrics
Management utilizes current cash conversion cycle information to manage our working capital level. The table below presents the cash conversion cycle:
| As of October 31 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Days of sales outstanding in accounts receivable (“DSO”) | 28 | 28 | 30 | ||||
| Days of supply in inventory (“DOS”) | 57 | 57 | 53 | ||||
| Days of purchases outstanding in accounts payable (“DPO”) | (117) | (114) | (108) | ||||
| Cash conversion cycle | (32) | (29) | (25) |
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The cash conversion cycle is the sum of days of DSO and DOS less DPO. Items which may cause the cash conversion cycle in a particular period to differ from historical trends include, but are not limited to, changes in business mix, changes in payment terms, timing and extent of receivables factoring, seasonal trends and the timing of revenue recognition and inventory purchases within the period.
DSO measures the average number of days our receivables are outstanding. DSO is calculated by dividing ending accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses, by a 90-day average of net revenue. The DSO remained flat compared to the prior year.
DOS measures the average number of days from procurement to sale of our product. DOS is calculated by dividing ending inventory by a 90-day average of cost of goods sold. The DOS remained flat compared to the prior year.
DPO measures the average number of days our accounts payable balances are outstanding. DPO is calculated by dividing ending accounts payable by a 90-day average of cost of goods sold. The increase in DPO as compared to prior-year period, was primarily due working capital management activities.
Investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities decreased $3.0 billion for fiscal year 2023 as compared to the prior-year period, primarily due to the $2.8 billion Poly acquisition in the prior-year period and lower investments in property, plant and equipment of $0.2 billion.
Financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities increased by $0.8 billion in fiscal year 2023 compared to the prior-year period, primarily due to net debt repayment of $1.5 billion and repayment of $0.2 billion of collateral withdrawn for derivative instruments in the current year period, compared to issuance of senior unsecured notes net of payments of $3.1 billion, share repurchases of $4.2 billion and $0.2 billion withdrawal of collateral for derivative instruments in the prior year period.
Share repurchases and dividends
In fiscal year 2023, HP returned $1.1 billion to shareholders in the form of cash dividends of $1.0 billion and share repurchases of $0.1 billion. As of October 31, 2023, HP had approximately $2.0 billion remaining under the share repurchase authorizations approved by HP’s Board of Directors.
For more information on our share repurchases, see Note 12, “Stockholders’ Deficit”, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Capital resources
Debt Levels
| As of October 31 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||
| Dollars in millions | |||||
| Short-term debt | $ | 230 | $ | 218 | |
| Long-term debt | $ | 9,254 | $ | 10,796 | |
| Weighted-average interest rate | 4.2 | % | 3.7 | % |
We maintain debt levels that we establish through consideration of a number of factors, including cash flow expectations, cash requirements for operations, investment plans (including acquisitions), share repurchase activities, our cost of capital and targeted capital structure.
Short-term debt increased by $12 million and long-term debt decreased by $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2023 as compared to prior-year period. The net decrease in debt was primarily due to repurchase and settlement of $1.15 billion in aggregate principal payment of various Global Notes and repurchase of $0.5 billion of the March 2029 notes related to the Poly acquisition.
Our weighted-average interest rate reflects the effective interest rate on our borrowings prevailing during the period and reflects the effect of interest rate swaps. For more information on our interest rate swaps, see Note 10, “Financial Instruments” in the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”, which is incorporated herein by reference.
For more information on the new notes and the redemption of existing notes, see Note 11, “Borrowings”, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of Part II of this report, which is incorporated herein by reference.
As of October 31, 2023, we maintained a $5.0 billion sustainability-linked senior unsecured committed revolving credit facility available until May 26, 2026. In March 2023, we also entered into a $1.0 billion senior unsecured committed revolving credit facility with a 364-day maturity. Funds borrowed under the revolving credit facilities may be used for general corporate purposes.
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Available borrowing resources
As of October 31, 2023, we had available borrowing resources of $1.2 billion from uncommitted lines of credit in addition to the revolving credit facilities.
In December 2022, we filed a non-automatic shelf registration statement (the “2022 Shelf Registration Statement”) with the SEC. The 2022 Shelf Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC on March 1, 2023 and enables us to offer for sale, from time to time, in one or more offerings, up to $3.0 billion, in the aggregate, of debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, depository shares and warrants.
For more information on our borrowings, see Note 11, “Borrowings”, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Credit ratings
Our credit risk is evaluated by major independent rating agencies based upon publicly available information as well as information they obtain during our ongoing discussions. While we currently do not have any rating downgrade triggers that would accelerate the maturity of a material amount of our debt, a downgrade from our current credit rating may increase the cost of borrowing under our credit facilities, reduce market capacity for our commercial paper, require the posting of additional collateral under some of our derivative contracts and may have a negative impact on our liquidity and capital position and our contractual business going forward, depending on the extent of such downgrade. See “Risk Factors— Failure to maintain our credit ratings could adversely affect our liquidity, capital position, borrowing costs and access to capital markets” in Item 1A, which is incorporated herein by reference. We can access alternative sources of funding, including drawdowns under our credit facilities, if necessary, to offset potential reductions in the market capacity for our commercial paper.
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Table of Contents
HP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
CONTRACTUAL AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS
Our contractual and other obligations as of October 31, 2023, were as follows:
| Payments Due by Period | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Short-term | Long-term | ||||||||
| In millions | ||||||||||
| Principal payments on debt(1) | $ | 9,585 | $ | 216 | $ | 9,369 | ||||
| Interest payments on debt(2) | 3,059 | 397 | 2,662 | |||||||
| Purchase obligations(3) | 1,861 | 758 | 1,103 | |||||||
| Operating lease obligations | 1,389 | 485 | 904 | |||||||
| Finance lease obligations | 27 | 14 | 13 | |||||||
| Total(4)(5)(6) | $ | 15,921 | $ | 1,870 | $ | 14,051 |
(1)Amounts represent the principal cash payments relating to our short-term and long-term debt and do not include any fair value adjustments, discounts or premiums.
(2)Amounts represent the expected interest payments relating to our short-term and long-term debt. We have outstanding interest rate swap agreements accounted for as fair value hedges that have the economic effect of changing fixed interest rates associated with some of our U.S. Dollar Global Notes to variable interest rates. The impact of our outstanding interest rate swaps at October 31, 2023 was factored into the calculation of the future interest payments on debt.
(3)Purchase obligations include agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding on us and that specify all significant terms, including fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum or variable price and volume provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction. These purchase obligations are related principally to inventory and other items. Purchase obligations exclude agreements that are cancellable without penalty. Purchase obligations also exclude open purchase orders that are routine arrangements entered into in the ordinary course of business as they are difficult to quantify in a meaningful way. Even though open purchase orders are considered enforceable and legally binding, the terms generally allow us the option to cancel, reschedule, and adjust terms based on our business needs prior to the delivery of goods or performance of services.
(4)Retirement and Post-Retirement Benefit Plan Contributions. In fiscal year 2024, we expect to contribute approximately $45 million to non-U.S. pension plans, $31 million to cover benefit payments to U.S. non-qualified plan participants and $3 million to cover benefit claims for our post-retirement benefit plans. Our policy is to fund our pension plans so that we meet at least the minimum contribution required by local government, funding and taxing authorities. Expected contributions and payments to our pension and post-retirement benefit plans are excluded from the contractual obligations table because they do not represent contractual cash outflows as they are dependent on numerous factors which may result in a wide range of outcomes. For more information on our retirement and post-retirement benefit plans, see Note 4, “Retirement and Post-Retirement Benefit Plans”, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
(5)Cost Savings Plans. As a result of our approved restructuring plans, we expect to make future cash payments of approximately $0.5 billion. We expect to make future cash payments of $0.3 billion in fiscal year 2024 with remaining cash payments through fiscal year 2025. These payments have been excluded from the contractual obligations table because they do not represent contractual cash outflows and there is uncertainty as to the timing of these payments. For more information on our restructuring activities that are part of our cost improvements, see Note 3, “Restructuring and Other Charges”, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
(6)Uncertain Tax Positions. As of October 31, 2023, we had approximately $102 million of recorded liabilities and related interest and penalties pertaining to uncertain tax positions. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate as to when cash settlement with the tax authorities might occur due to the uncertainties related to these tax matters. Payments of these obligations would result from settlements with taxing authorities. For more information on our uncertain tax positions, see Note 6, “Taxes on Earnings”, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Off-balance sheet arrangements
As part of our ongoing business, we have not participated in transactions that generate material relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.
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We have third-party short-term financing arrangements intended to facilitate the working capital requirements of certain customers and HP. For more information on our third-party short-term financing arrangements, see Note 7 “Supplementary Financial Information” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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