Hewlett Packard Enterprise Stake Purchased By Guyasuta Investments Despite Scrutiny From Analysts

Recently, Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. reported that the company purchased a new stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the fourth quarter of this year. The company has filed its most recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission with the announcement. An estimated $414,00 worth of HPE tech stock was purchased by the company, and the shares were purchased at $25,964 a piece.

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A number of research analysts have recently reviewed HPE in light of recent developments. In a report issued by Goldman Sachs Group, it was rated as a "neutral" stock with a $15.00 price objective, whereas Barclays reduced its rating to "equal weight" from "overweight" and set a $18.00 price target for the stock.

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In contrast, JP Morgan Chase & Co. was more positive about its outlook for HPE when, in December of 2016, its target price for the company rose from $18.00 to $20.00 and it assigned it a rating of “overweight.” The target price of HPE has been increased from $13.00 to $14.00 by Citigroup in March, and Morgan Stanley has also upgraded its market cap from $13.00 to $14.00 by providing a "Hold" rating but increasing the market capitalization of the company.

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It is currently a matter of disagreement among analysts as to the status and stability of HPE's finances. Two analysts have assigned the stock a sell rating, seven have assigned it a hold rating, and four analysts have given the stock a buy rating. Trade Algo, on the other hand, reports that the consensus rating for the company is "Hold", with an average price of around $16.77.

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HPE has opened at $16.05 per share on Wednesday morning, only a few days after the company was rated about 20.80 billion dollars worth by the market capitalization ratio-an impressive feat considering that the company was rated 24 to 69 in regards to its price-to-earnings ratio as well as its price-to-growth ratio (2 to 42).

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Over the course of 2016, the stock price of the company fluctuated between gains and losses, with its lowest point being at $11.90 per share while its highest point reached $17.25 per share. For the time being, the stock price fluctuates between these two values within a fifty-two week range.

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As of this writing, HPE's 50-day moving average stock price rests at $15.51 with a 200-day moving average of $15.18. HPE's debt-to-equity ratio stands at 0.38 and its current ratio is 0.85, data that will remain meaningful for investors in the months to come.

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There's no doubt that HPE remains vital during these difficult times for both financial analysts and investors in the technology sector, and this sentiment has been echoed by many other investors as well.

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Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): Mixed reviews after ownership changes and insider sales

As a technology company, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) underwent some recent changes in its ownership structure that have had a significant impact on its business operations. In the last quarter, several hedge funds have increased their stakes in the company by purchasing additional shares of it. In particular, Fifth Third Bancorp, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd, Strategic Wealth Advisors Group LLC, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc., and TRUE Private Wealth Advisors have all bought additional shares in the company. The stock of HPE is currently held by 81.36% of these institutional investors.

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The company has also been affected by several insider sales of shares in addition to these changes in ownership. It was estimated that over 700,000 shares of HPE's stock were sold for over $10 million in a transaction in which EVP Alan Richard May traded for an average price of $15.11 per share, totaling more than $10 million. Also, Jean M. Hobby sold 10,000 shares for $152,800 in the last 90 days for a total of 747,314 shares sold by insiders.

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As a result of these changes in ownership and the fact that HPE has been sold insiders, research analysts have been expressing mixed reviews about the company. It was recently downgraded from “overweight” to “equal weight” by Barclays, with an objective price of $18 from Goldman Sachs Group, while the stock was rated “neutral” by Barclays Group with a $15 target price. On the other hand, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its HPE target price from $18 to $20 and rated it as "overweight."

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HPE's most recent earnings report surpassed analyst expectations for the first quarter of the year by $0.11 at $0.63 per share for the quarter ending March 2nd, surpassing revenue expectations by 12.2% and earnings per share by $0.11 over analyst expectations for the quarter.

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As well, HPE declared dividends on Friday March 17th for shareholders with an ex-date on Thursday March 16th. This suggests a well-funded position and commitment to shareholders.

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With mixed analyst reviews, changes in ownership, and insider sales, it is difficult to analyze HPE's near-term performance. The consensus ranking on Trade Algo is currently "Hold" with an average target price of $16.77.