PALO ALTO, Calif.--Nov. 14, 2001--Hewlett-Packard Company today reported financial results for its fourth fiscal quarter ended Oct. 31, 2001. Fourth quarter results met or slightly exceeded guidance for revenue, gross margin and expenses provided on the Aug. 16 third quarter earnings call. The company achieved 6% sequential revenue growth, 4% sequential pro forma expense reduction, pro forma earnings per share (EPS) of 19 cents and operating cash flow of $1.8 billion. The company reported fourth quarter revenue of $10.9 billion compared with $10.3 billion in the third quarter and $13.3 billion in last year's fourth quarter. Revenues were down 18% year-over-year, 15% excluding currency effects. Gross margin this quarter was 25.7%, essentially flat with 26.0% last quarter on a pro forma basis. Operating expenses declined 4% sequentially and 11% year-over-year on a pro forma basis. Operating expenses were 21.4% of net revenue, down from 23.6% last quarter on a pro forma basis. Pro forma EPS on a diluted basis was 19 cents (compared with the consensus analyst estimate of 8 cents), up from pro forma EPS of 12 cents in the third quarter and down from pro forma EPS of 41 cents in the year-ago quarter. Pro forma earnings this quarter excluded a $282 million pre-tax restructuring charge for workforce reduction, as well as several other items. Including these items, GAAP total EPS was 5 cents per diluted share on approximately 2 billion shares of common stock and equivalents outstanding. GAAP total EPS on a diluted basis for the same period last year was 45 cents. "In a tough environment, we stayed focused on customers and business fundamentals. We generated sequential revenue growth, expense reductions and pro forma EPS improvements, as well as $1.8 billion in operating cash flow in the fourth quarter. Results were driven by excellent execution in imaging and printing and good performance in services. While overall computing systems results remain weak, we saw improvement in certain segments including storage and PCs. We reduced our cost structure, improved our operational effectiveness and managed inventory aggressively,'' said Carly Fiorina, chairman and chief executive officer. "While executing well, we continue to focus on our long-term objectives. We are convinced that the Compaq transaction is a unique opportunity to move HP into the future and benefit our shareowners, customers and employees. We expect this transaction to create substantial earnings accretion soon after the merger closes. With Compaq's customer base and complementary products and services, we will materially strengthen key HP businesses. "HP has always stood for a willingness to innovate and evolve in the face of changing markets. The company has successfully reinvented itself many times in the past, and we must continue to do so to deliver sustainable shareowner value. "In 2001, we met many of the major objectives we set for HP and we thank our employees for staying the course and making sacrifices during a year of unprecedented challenges. They enabled HP to be among the select few technology companies to remain profitable throughout 2001. In recognition of their efforts, we have awarded all employees and managers, other than the Executive Council, a special cash bonus equivalent to two days' salary, with a total cost of approximately $45 million.'' Business Segment Results Imaging and Printing Systems The imaging and printing systems segment includes laser and inkjet printers, imaging devices and associated supplies. Revenues increased 16% sequentially and declined 9% year-over-year (7% in local currency) against the highest revenue quarter in IPS history last year. Operating margin was 10.5%, compared to 8.7% last quarter and 12.6% in the fourth quarter of last year. The sequential operating margin increase reflects a strong seasonal increase in revenues and solid expense management. The company made excellent progress during the year on key objectives. These include increasing share in low-end printers and developing new products to improve profitability, winning new business in high-end commercial printing, building on strength in the growing all-in-one market, creating new markets for digital imaging and driving usage of HP supplies. During the fourth quarter, supplies revenues grew 16% sequentially and 6% year-over-year against a strong compare. HP LaserJet hardware revenue increased 4% sequentially and declined 18% year-over-year. Inkjet printer revenue increased 17% sequentially and declined 35% year-over-year. HP gained or maintained share in all printer hardware categories. Imaging revenue, which includes digital cameras, photo printers, scanners and all-in-one devices, increased 49% sequentially and 7% year-over-year. Computing Systems The computing systems segment includes a broad range of Internet infrastructure systems and solutions for businesses and professionals, including workstations, desktops, notebooks, mobile devices, UNIX and PC servers, storage and software solutions. Revenues declined 1% sequentially and declined 31% year-over-year (28% in local currency). Operating margin was a negative 4.7%, compared to a negative 3.8% last quarter and positive 4.0% a year ago, reflecting a highly competitive market and weakening demand. For the fourth quarter, UNIX server revenue was down 11% sequentially and 30% year-over-year, but remained a profitable business amid difficult market conditions. Superdome continued to gain increased customer acceptance and HP's low-end UNIX products continued to perform well versus competitors. Enterprise storage revenues increased 10% sequentially and declined 22% year-over-year. High-end arrays were up 16% sequentially, driven by new products and margins stabilized in a difficult market. While software revenues declined 7% sequentially and 12% year-over-year, the HP OpenView product showed growth both sequentially and year-over-year. PC server revenues declined 11% sequentially and 44% year-over-year. Commercial desktops declined 11% sequentially and 39% year-over-year. Home PC revenues increased 23% sequentially and declined 37% year-over-year. HP retained its leading position in home PCs and generated profits in North America while breaking even globally. Notebooks experienced sequential revenue growth of 10% and declined 12% year-over-year, significantly increasing HP's market share in the United States following the release of Windows XP. IT Services The IT Services segment includes mission-critical, outsourcing, consulting and customer financing services. Support revenues grew 3% sequentially and 9% year-over-year (6% in dollars). Outsourcing revenues were up 4% sequentially and up 22% year-over-year (19% in dollars). Consulting revenues declined 5% sequentially and grew 2% year-over-year (a 2% decline in dollars). Overall revenues for the IT Services segment, including HP's financing business, grew 2% sequentially and 5% year-over-year (2% in dollars). Operating margin was 4.5%, compared to 2.0% for the last quarter and 4.5 % for the same period last year. Asset Management Net cash generated from operations for the quarter was $1.8 billion. Inventory declined by $600 million and was 11.5% of revenue, down from 12.2% last quarter. Trade receivables were 9.9% of revenue compared to 9.2% in the previous quarter. Net property, plant and equipment was 9.7% of revenue, unchanged from last quarter. Workforce Reduction As announced in July, HP has undertaken a workforce reduction program to eliminate 6,000 jobs and result in an annualized savings of $500 million. HP took a pre-tax restructuring charge of $282 million in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year, covering substantially all of the planned headcount reduction. Approximately 4,000 of the 6,000 reductions have taken place as of Oct. 31, 2001. The remaining job cuts are expected to be completed in the first half of fiscal 2002. 2002 Outlook Market conditions continue to be difficult and the company is not counting on an economic recovery in 2002. For the first fiscal quarter of 2002, revenues are expected to be down slightly from the fourth quarter due to normal seasonal effects. Gross margins are expected to be approximately flat with the fourth quarter, reflecting an intensely competitive environment. The company expects to hold expenses approximately flat with the fourth quarter on a pro forma basis. Accounting Changes During the fourth quarter, HP adopted Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin 101, "Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements,'' and has restated 2001 quarterly results for the first three quarters accordingly. HP also made several other minor reporting changes for all periods presented, including a reclassification of leasing-related interest income and expense.