• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

What HP turnaround signs would look like

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 29, 2012, 11:41 AM ET



Looking at Hewlett-Packard’s balance sheet elicits a fair number of “uh oh’s.”

During its last-reported quarter, ended July 31, HP (HPQ) posted revenue of just under $30 billion, down over $1 billion compared to the same period last year. The company lost a whopping $8.9 billion during the period, reversing the $1.9 billion profit it generated in the same quarter in 2011. In a statement, HP CEO Meg Whitman tried to put a good face on the news, saying that her company is “still in the early stages of a multi-year turnaround,” adding that HP is “making decent progress despite the headwinds.”

And what headwinds they are. In the mobile space — an industry that will continue to generate tens of billions of dollars in the coming years and arguably become the most important segment of the technology market — Whitman was forced to pull HP out, saying that its effort there with WebOS was ill-fated from the beginning.

Meanwhile, HP’s vastly important PC operation has come under attack. During the second quarter, HP held the worldwide lead in PC shipments by a razor-thin margin. According to research firm IDC, HP shipped 13.4 million PCs during the second quarter, earning it 15.5% ownership of the market. That was down 12.3% compared to the 15.3 million PC shipments and 17.6% share it had during the same period last year. Lenovo, meanwhile, has watched its share soar from 10.3 million shipments to 12.9 million last quarter. It has 14.9% share, and according to many analysts, will eventually overtake HP.

MORE: How Hewlett-Packard lost its way

It’s hard to find any good news at HP. During the second quarter, only its tiny Software and Financial Services divisions generated more revenue this year than last. The company’s PC-focused Personal Systems Group, as well as its Services division, saw revenue slide considerably. That poor performance culminated in one, unfortunate result for HP: it’s not appealing to consumers. “As expected, HP’s segments with consumer exposure suffered a severe drop in revenue,” Morningstar (MORN) analyst Michael Holt wrote recently in a research note to investors. Sales in the personal systems group fell 10% year-over-year on weak demand for PCs, led by a 12% drop in consumer revenue. “This remains a troubling rate of decline and there is little evidence to suggest that HP is executing well enough to compete in this hyperaggressive pricing environment,” he continued.

But that doesn’t mean that Whitman is ready to wave the white flag. Back in May, the company announced a multi-year initiative designed to right itself. That restructuring plan includes 27,000 layoffs, dedicating more spending to its Personal Systems Group, and improving its standing in enterprise exploits, like servers, software, and services. “While some of these actions are difficult because they involve the loss of jobs, they are necessary to improve execution and to fund the long-term health of the company,” Whitman said in a statement at the time. “We are setting HP on a path to extend our global leadership and deliver the greatest value to customers and shareholders.”

Generating value to shareholders is something HP has suffered with lately. Since the start of the year, the company’s stock is down 33% to $17.21. In the last year, its shares have dropped 31%. That sell-off seems to indicate a growing concern with HP’s chances for success. As Credit Suisse analyst Kulbinder Garcha wrote in a research note last week, HP’s troubles in its Personal Systems Group — which has shown no signs of reemerging — are “a microcosm of the rest of the company.”

MORE: What HP’s Meg Whitman must do now

Still, HP has one thing now that it didn’t just a year ago: stability. The company’s CEO office had turned into a revolving door after Mark Hurd unceremoniously left and his predecessor, Leo Apotheker, was let go. Now, though, Whitman has been given the board’s full confidence. And it appears that the company is hers to either lead back to greatness or push to catastrophic failure. That fate might rely upon tablets. Recently, an internal memo was published by technology site The Verge, indicating that HP is building a new Mobility business unit focused on “consumer tablets.” But is that really the right move?

HP will likely double down on Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows 8 when that tablet-ready operating system launches in October. And HP seems to understand that notebooks and desktops are increasingly losing steam because of slates. But like so many moves HP has made recently, building a mobility division appears dicey. But green shoots in any future HP turnaround are likely to start in this very division.

In other words, it’s the wrong time and probably, a bad move. And therein lies the rub. HP and its executives know what needs to be done to be successful. The company has made major moves to reach those goals. But executing at the right time — and at the same level as the competition — has been elusive. Until (or perhaps if) that changes, there may not be much good news coming out of HP headquarters.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Current price of gold as of June 10, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of June 10, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 10, 2026
Personal FinanceOil
Current price of oil as of June 10, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Personal Financesilver
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, June 10, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Businesswoman working at desk with laptop and documents in office
NewslettersCFO Daily
Finance teams can’t quit Excel. Workday wants to change that with AI
By Sheryl EstradaJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
goldman
Investingprivate equity
‘The circulatory system isn’t working.’ Goldman on what’s really wrong with private markets
By Nick LichtenbergJune 10, 2026
3 hours ago
Exclusive: Mastercard launches protocol to let AI agents pay each other, send micropayments
BankingMastercard
Exclusive: Mastercard launches protocol to let AI agents pay each other, send micropayments
By Ben WeissJune 10, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
Economy
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
By Nick LichtenbergJune 9, 2026
22 hours ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Environment
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
By Sasha RogelbergJune 8, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.