Hewlett-Packard Enterprise raised to Buy at BofA on several catalysts; shares up

Source Investing

Investing.com -- Analysts at Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) (BofA) hiked their rating on Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (NYSE:HPE) shares to Buy from Neutral and lifted the price target on the stock to $24 from $21.

The company’s shares rose roughly 4% in Tuesday’s market pre-open.

The upgrade reflects BofA's positive outlook on the company's potential for significant cost cuts, a cyclical recovery in its core markets, and revenue and cost synergies from its upcoming acquisition of Juniper Networks Inc (NYSE:JNPR)s.

HPE's acquisition of Juniper Networks for approximately $14 billion in cash is expected to close soon, with CEO Neri at the helm. The move is intended to reduce HPE's dependency on compute solutions and enhance its focus on the higher-margin networking business.

Despite a challenging networking market, BofA anticipates that cost synergies from the deal will exceed $450 million, with 70% expected to be realized by the end of 2026, contributing to a significant increase in consensus earnings per share (EPS).

“We expect additional cost takeouts at core HPE of at least 100bps incrementally, which is also likely conservative,” BofA analysts said in a Tuesday note.

In its Q3 financial report, HPE showcased AI server revenues of $1.3 billion and a substantial backlog of $3.4 billion. The company also reported an increase in server operating margins quarter over quarter, highlighting a focus on profitability.

BofA expects HPE to benefit from its partnership with NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), leveraging AI computing and capitalizing on Juniper’s Mist platform in the networking market.

“With decades of expertise in liquid cooling (CRAY systems) and increased adoption of supercomputing, HPE will be able to command a key position in AI adoption at Enterprise and Sovereign,” analysts continued.

HPE's stock is currently trading at approximately 8x the estimated 2025 consensus EPS, which is at the lower end of its historical range of 6 to 13x. While acknowledging the risks of execution challenges and increased leverage, particularly in a recession scenario, BofA's price objective of $24 is based on a 10 times multiple of the projected 2026 pro-forma EPS of $2.40.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Dollar holds above 100 near a 3-month high — three Fed speakers and a $69 billion auction land tonightThe dollar index closed at 100.43 on Monday, its highest close since late July, after a weekly gain of about 1% — the best in more than three months — and is holding above the 100.00 handle in Asia. Three Fed officials speak tonight alongside a $69 billion two-year note auction, the first leg of $183 billion of Treasury supply this week.
Author  Suzie
Sep 22, Tue
The dollar index closed at 100.43 on Monday, its highest close since late July, after a weekly gain of about 1% — the best in more than three months — and is holding above the 100.00 handle in Asia. Three Fed officials speak tonight alongside a $69 billion two-year note auction, the first leg of $183 billion of Treasury supply this week.
placeholder
October hike odds climb toward 60% as Goldman and BofA both flip — what Warsh's "dose of accommodation" really changedRate futures now price roughly 55% to 62% for a 25bp hike at the October 27-28 FOMC, up from about 30% before Chair Warsh's post-meeting framing that the Fed is merely "removing some accommodation." Goldman Sachs has added an October hike to its forecast and Bank of America now sees moves in both October and December. Here is the repricing, the language behind it, and the two data points that decide it.
Author  Irene Q.
Sep 23, Wed
Rate futures now price roughly 55% to 62% for a 25bp hike at the October 27-28 FOMC, up from about 30% before Chair Warsh's post-meeting framing that the Fed is merely "removing some accommodation." Goldman Sachs has added an October hike to its forecast and Bank of America now sees moves in both October and December. Here is the repricing, the language behind it, and the two data points that decide it.
placeholder
Memory chips surge, Nasdaq notches a second straight record close — why the Dow fell 185 points anywayMicron gained 5%, SanDisk 6.8%, Seagate 4% and Western Digital 3% as the memory complex led the Nasdaq Composite to a second consecutive record close of 27,244.28. But the Dow fell 185 points as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Schwab slid more than 3% each — a split tape that says more about positioning than about the economy.
Author  Irene Q.
Sep 23, Wed
Micron gained 5%, SanDisk 6.8%, Seagate 4% and Western Digital 3% as the memory complex led the Nasdaq Composite to a second consecutive record close of 27,244.28. But the Dow fell 185 points as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Schwab slid more than 3% each — a split tape that says more about positioning than about the economy.
placeholder
US input costs rose at the fastest pace in four years — the September flash PMI beat is an inflation story, not a growth storyUS September flash PMIs came in far above expectations, with the composite at 58.4, a five-year high. But the detail that moved markets was input cost inflation at its fastest since October 2022, driven by fuel, transport and supply shortages. Brent is back above $100 and the 10-year Treasury yield has hit its highest since 2007.
Author  Suzie
Sep 24, Thu
US September flash PMIs came in far above expectations, with the composite at 58.4, a five-year high. But the detail that moved markets was input cost inflation at its fastest since October 2022, driven by fuel, transport and supply shortages. Brent is back above $100 and the 10-year Treasury yield has hit its highest since 2007.
placeholder
Gold Price Forecast: Gold Drops Below $4,300, Will It Continue to Fall? As of the European session on September 24, gold prices (XAUUSD) extended their correction, dipping below $4,300 intraday to hit a low of $4,262.45. After previously rebounding close to $
Author  TradingKey
Sep 24, Thu
As of the European session on September 24, gold prices (XAUUSD) extended their correction, dipping below $4,300 intraday to hit a low of $4,262.45. After previously rebounding close to $
goTop
quote