HP
Through the investors’ lenses
Each of these investors has said in public what they look at before buying. Click a name to see how this company measures up — a tick where it passes one of their tests, a cross where it does not.
Warren Buffett 1/2
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner earnings | $2.55bn | positive | ✓ |
| Return on equity | — | median 11.7% | — |
| Debt to equity | — | median 0.79x | — |
| Operating margin | 5.7% | median 15.0% | ✗ |
Passes 1 of 2. To be clear: Warren Buffett has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Terry Smith 1/3
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 34.3% | median 10.1% | ✓ |
| Cash conversion | 1.46x | median 1.78x | ✗ |
| Operating margin | 5.7% | median 15.0% | ✗ |
| Debt to equity | — | median 0.79x | — |
Passes 1 of 3. To be clear: Terry Smith has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Charlie Munger 1/2
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 34.3% | median 10.1% | ✓ |
| Return on equity | — | median 11.7% | — |
| Operating margin | 5.7% | median 15.0% | ✗ |
Passes 1 of 2. To be clear: Charlie Munger has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Chuck Akre 0/1
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | — | median 11.7% | — |
| Debt to equity | — | median 0.79x | — |
| Cash conversion | 1.46x | median 1.78x | ✗ |
Passes 0 of 1. To be clear: Chuck Akre has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Philip Fisher 1/4
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 5.7% | median 15.0% | ✗ |
| Net margin | 4.6% | median 10.2% | ✗ |
| Return on capital employed | 34.3% | median 10.1% | ✓ |
| Operating margin, held or improving | 5.7% | 10-yr median 6.6% | ✗ |
Passes 1 of 4. To be clear: Philip Fisher has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Walter Schloss 0/1
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current ratio | 0.77x | median 1.25x | ✗ |
| Debt to equity | — | median 0.79x | — |
Passes 0 of 1. To be clear: Walter Schloss has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Benjamin Graham 1/2
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current ratio | 0.77x | 2.00x published | ✗ |
| Long-term debt to working capital | — | 1.00x published | — |
| Positive earnings, ten years running | 10 yrs | 10 published | ✓ |
Passes 1 of 2. To be clear: Benjamin Graham has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Joel Greenblatt 1/1
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 34.3% | median 10.1% | ✓ |
Passes 1 of 1. To be clear: Joel Greenblatt has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Peter Lynch 0/1
| Measure | HPQ | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt to equity | — | median 0.79x | — |
| Net margin | 4.6% | median 10.2% | ✗ |
Passes 0 of 1. To be clear: Peter Lynch has never said anything about HP. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
| Basis | Payout | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GAAP earnings | 43.8% | whyThe figure most screeners publish. |
| Operating cash flow | 29.4% | whyBefore capital spending. |
| Free cash flow | 38.9% | whyAfter maintaining the business. |
Spread between highest and lowest: 14.3 percentage points. Same filings, different denominators.
Coverage rating 34 / 100 — Strained. ? Peer standing 18/50Direction 4/30Stability 12/20
Free cash flow payout, last 6 years
| Fiscal year | Payout |
|---|---|
| 2025-10-31 | 38.9% |
| 2024-10-31 | 34.1% |
| 2023-10-31 | 34.8% |
| 2022-10-31 | 28.0% |
| 2021-10-31 | 16.1% |
| 2020-10-31 | 26.7% |
36% of the 42 technology here pay out more.
The arithmetic
- GAAP earnings — dividends declared per share $1.16 ÷ diluted EPS $2.65
- Operating cash flow — dividends paid $1,088m ÷ operating cash flow $3,697m
- Free cash flow — dividends paid $1,088m ÷ (operating cash flow $3,697m − capex $897m)
Where the figures came from
- 10-K filed 2025-12-10 · accession 0000047217-25-000071
All public at sec.gov — you should not have to take our word for it.
Computed straight from SEC XBRL. A number that looks wrong to you is more useful to us than agreement — tell us.
What the free cash flow payout ratio measures, and where every company here sits on it.
Also on: rated strained · when it files.
When this changes
Every figure above is recomputed whenever HP files. The monthly letter carries what filed, what moved, and one finding computed across every company here.