This week HP Inc., has announced its fiscal outlook for 2018 and the estimates are positive, with the company expecting a profitable year to come.
At HP Inc.’s 2017 Securities Analyst Meeting, held yesterday, the company unveiled its strategy and the various opportunities available for its long-term growth, as well as releasing its fiscal outlook for 2018.
“Fiscal 2017 has been a tremendous year for HP and we are just getting started. We’ve delivered reliable earnings and cash flow, taken profitable share, driven productivity, stabilized our core businesses, and importantly, we grew,” said Dion Weisler, President and Chief Executive Officer, HP Inc. “We are well positioned to lead in the core, accelerate growth opportunities, like A3 and Graphics in Printing and commercial transformation in Personal Systems, and capture the future with 3D Printing in plastics and now metals.”
In 2018, HP estimates its GAAP diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations to be in the range of $1.69 (€1.42) to $1.79 (€1.51) , while its non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share are estimated to be in the region of $1.74 (€1.47) to $1.84 (€1.55).
The non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share estimates do not include after-tax costs “related to items such as restructuring and other charges, acquisition-related charges, defined benefit plan settlement charges, amortisation of intangible assets, non-operating retirement-related credits/(charges), net tax indemnifications, net valuation allowances and discontinued operations.”
Basing its calculations on the current environment, HP “anticipates generating free cash flow of at least $3.0 billion (€2.5 billion)” in fiscal 2018.
Additionally, HP expects to return “50 percent-75 percent of annual free cash flow to shareholders”, and revealed that it expected to be toward the higher end of that range, “with a 5 percent increase in the planned quarterly dividend amount, and the balance returned to shareholders through share repurchases.”
“HP has been building strong business momentum, demonstrating our strategy is working.”said Cathie Lesjak, Chief Financial Officer. “We expect to continue our momentum in fiscal 2018. We have shown that we can deliver in the short-term, while also positioning ourselves for long-term success.”