Does HP Inc pay a dividend?

Yes. HP Inc. (HPQ) is a consistent dividend payer with a yield typically in the 3–4% range, supported by strong free cash flow from printing supplies. HP Enterprise (HPE) also pays a dividend at a similar yield. Both pay more than most technology companies. HP Inc.'s printing consumables business makes it more like a consumer staples company in terms of dividend sustainability.

What is HP Enterprise's GreenLake and why does it matter?

GreenLake is HP Enterprise's as-a-service model that delivers on-premises IT infrastructure (compute, storage, networking) on a consumption-based payment model — like cloud computing but running in the customer's own data center. This allows enterprises to avoid large upfront capex while keeping sensitive data on-premises. GreenLake generates recurring service revenue rather than one-time hardware sales, which is why HPE's investor day presentations focus on it heavily.

How is HPE competing in AI servers against Dell and Supermicro?

HP Enterprise's ProLiant Gen11 servers with NVIDIA H100 and B200 GPUs are competing directly with Dell PowerEdge and Super Micro Computer in the AI server buildout. HPE has deep relationships with enterprise IT buyers through its direct sales force and GreenLake ecosystem, giving it an advantage in winning AI server contracts with large corporations running on-premises AI. However, Supermicro has been especially aggressive on price and speed-to-market for AI GPU servers, and Dell's broader enterprise relationships often give it the first call. HPE differentiates through GreenLake bundling — offering AI servers as a service with HPE ProLiant AI rather than just hardware sales.

What happened to Hewlett-Packard and why is it now two companies?

Hewlett-Packard Company (founded 1939) split into two separate publicly traded companies in November 2015: HP Inc. (HPQ) retained the original PC and printing businesses; Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) inherited the enterprise IT infrastructure, cloud services, and software businesses. The split was driven by the recognition that HP's PC/printing business and enterprise IT business had different growth profiles, competitive dynamics, customer bases, and capital requirements — running them as one company was creating strategic confusion. CEO Meg Whitman executed the split to allow each company to pursue its own strategy independently. Since the split, HP Inc. has focused on PC and print profitability and buybacks; HPE has focused on shifting from hardware to as-a-service (GreenLake) and AI infrastructure.

Which is better for income investors — HPQ or HPE?

Both HP Inc. and HP Enterprise pay comparable dividends with yields typically in the 3-4% range — higher than most technology companies but in line with mature IT hardware businesses. HP Inc.'s printing supplies FCF provides reliable dividend coverage. HP Enterprise's dividend is also well-covered but depends more on cyclical hardware and services revenue. For income investors prioritizing dividend reliability and stability, HP Inc.'s printing consumables model provides more predictable FCF supporting the dividend than HP Enterprise's more variable server hardware and GreenLake ARR revenue mix. Both are reasonable dividend investments for IT hardware income portfolios.

What is the AI PC opportunity for HP Inc. in 2026?

AI PCs are computers with dedicated NPUs (Neural Processing Units) that accelerate on-device AI tasks like real-time translation, background blur, Copilot integration, and local AI model inference without requiring cloud connectivity. Microsoft's Copilot+ PC certification requires a specific NPU compute threshold, creating a product category that incentivizes commercial PC refresh. HP Inc. was among the first to ship Copilot+ certified commercial PCs in 2024 and has expanded its AI PC lineup. The commercial PC refresh cycle driven by Windows 11 AI features and enterprise security requirements represents HP Inc.'s primary near-term growth catalyst — enterprise IT departments typically refresh PCs on 3-5 year cycles, and AI PC features create incremental upgrade motivation beyond typical lifecycle replacement.

Last updated: August 28, 2026

brimindinvest.com / compare / hpq-vs-hpeLIVE

HPQ

HP Inc. · Technology

$30.52

+7.43% this month

VERSUS

COMPARE

HPE

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company · Technology

$52.31

+17.71% this month

Scoreboard verdict

Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin

HPQ

1

HPE

4

HPE LEADS 4/5

Comparison scoreboard

HPE LEADS 4/5

AI Score

HPQ 44.5

HPE ✓61.3

1Y Return

HPQ +7.65%

HPE ✓+125.86%

Fwd P/E

HPQ ✓9.88

HPE 13.24

Target Up.

HPQ -22.25%

HPE ✓+22.06%

Op. Margin

HPQ 7.11%

HPE ✓8.70%

Metrics last refreshed: 8/28/2026

Quick take

HPQ vs HPE: HP Inc vs HP Enterprise Stock Comparison 2026: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside

HP Inc. is a PC and printing hardware company with reliable FCF from printing supplies, while HP Enterprise is a hybrid cloud and AI server infrastructure company transitioning to GreenLake as-a-service. Both are legacy IT hardware companies with different growth profiles: HP Inc. has more stable FCF; HP Enterprise has AI server growth but more competitive exposure.

HPQ vs HPE is printing supplies FCF machine with PC refresh upside versus AI server and hybrid cloud infrastructure growth — HP Inc. wins if AI PC features drive commercial refresh cycles; HP Enterprise wins if GreenLake ARR compounds and AI server demand sustains through enterprise GenAI buildout.

Live analysis · updated 8/28/2026

HPE holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. HPE has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+125.86% vs +7.65%), though HPQ has the better forward P/E setup (9.88x vs 13.24x for HPE). HPE leads on both revenue growth (40.00%) and operating margin (8.70%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for HPE (+22.06%) than for HPQ (-22.25%).

Normalized 1Y performance

HPQ

HPE

Recent returns

HPQ

HPE

Analyst price targets & sentiment

HPQ

Price target range

analyst mean$23.10
current price$30.52

-22.2% upside to analyst mean

HPE

Price target range

analyst mean$65.24
current price$52.31

+22.1% upside to analyst mean

Who should consider this stock?

HPQ may suit investors who:

value HP Inc.'s printing supplies recurring revenue as a reliable FCF driver
want commercial PC exposure to the AI PC refresh cycle without cloud or server execution risk
prefer a dividend-paying IT hardware business with capital return through buybacks
are comfortable with secular print volume decline managed through supplies pricing and commercial focus

HPE may suit investors who:

want AI server and hybrid cloud infrastructure exposure through ProLiant AI servers and GreenLake
value GreenLake's as-a-service model as a recurring revenue pivot from traditional server hardware cycles
prefer Aruba networking as a high-margin enterprise connectivity growth segment
believe enterprise AI infrastructure buildout sustains HPE's AI server revenue through GenAI adoption

Performance & AI score

Performance & AI score
Metric	HPQ	HPE
AI score	44.5	61.3
AI rank	#755	#129
Latest close	$30.52	$52.31
1M return	+7.43%	+17.71%
6M return	+60.72%	+143.64%
1Y return	+7.65%	+125.86%

$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)

How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?

$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
Period	HPQ	HPE
1Y ago	$10.69K (+6.9%) started 2025-08-29	$23.18K (+131.8%) started 2025-08-29
5Y ago	$13.25K (+32.5%) started 2021-08-30	$43.11K (+331.1%) started 2021-08-30
10Y ago	$38.32K (+283.2%) started 2016-08-29	$70.29K (+602.9%) started 2016-08-29

Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.

Valuation & upside potential

Valuation & upside potential
Metric	HPQ	HPE
Market cap	$22.72B	$70.78B
Trailing P/E	11.00	49.95
Forward P/E	9.88	13.24
Price/Sales	N/A	N/A
EV/Revenue	0.60	2.24
Analyst target	$23.10	$65.24
Target upside	-22.25%	+22.06%

Growth, profitability & risk

Growth, profitability & risk
Metric	HPQ	HPE
Revenue growth	9.00%	40.00%
Earnings growth	16.20%	-30.30%
EPS growth	+16.20%	-30.30%
FCF margin	+6.01%	+9.89%
Operating margin	7.11%	8.70%
Profit margin	4.45%	4.01%
ROIC proxy	N/A	6.31%
Return on equity	N/A	6.31%
Dividend yield	4.04%	1.07%
Beta	1.19	1.44
Debt/equity	N/A	84.03
Current ratio	0.79	1.09
Quick ratio	0.44	0.57

Drawdown & downside risk

Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.

1Y risk snapshot

HPQ max drawdown37.99%

HPE max drawdown26.57%

HPQ max wkly drop13.50%

HPE max wkly drop17.52%

5Y risk snapshot

HPQ max drawdown52.83%

HPE max drawdown48.36%

HPQ max wkly drop21.27%

HPE max wkly drop20.76%

10Y risk snapshot

HPQ max drawdown52.83%

HPE max drawdown56.87%

HPQ max wkly drop32.28%

HPE max wkly drop28.21%

Performance metrics by period

Performance metrics by period
Period	Metric	HPQ	HPE
1Y	Growth	+6.94%	+131.77%
	CAGR	+6.96%	+132.43%
	Sharpe ratio	0.27	1.78
	Max drawdown	37.99%	26.57%
	Max daily drop	6.99%	10.14%
	Max wkly drop	13.50%	17.52%
5Y	Growth	+16.16%	+282.70%
	CAGR	+3.04%	+30.82%
	Sharpe ratio	0.14	0.76
	Max drawdown	52.83%	48.36%
	Max daily drop	14.71%	15.14%
	Max wkly drop	21.27%	20.76%
10Y	Growth	+179.08%	+429.60%
	CAGR	+10.81%	+18.14%
	Sharpe ratio	0.34	0.51
	Max drawdown	52.83%	56.87%
	Max daily drop	17.27%	15.31%
	Max wkly drop	32.28%	28.21%

Business comparison

Business comparison
Category	HPQ	HPE
Company	HP Inc.	Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
Sector	Technology	Technology
Industry	N/A	N/A
Core business	PC and printing hardware company. HP Inc. sells consumer and commercial PCs, workstations, printers, and printing supplies. HP Inc. was formed when Hewlett-Packard split in 2015, retaining the original PC and printing businesses.	Hybrid cloud and AI infrastructure company with compute (ProLiant servers), hybrid cloud software (GreenLake), networking (Aruba), high-performance computing, and AI servers (ProLiant for AI). HPE competes with Dell, Supermicro, and Lenovo in enterprise IT infrastructure.
Investor focus	PC market cycle recovery, commercial PC refresh driven by AI PC features, print hardware and supplies revenue, and free cash flow generation.	GreenLake as-a-service ARR growth, AI server demand (Nvidia GPU servers), Aruba networking, and operating margin improvement.

HPQ strengths

HP Inc. generates significant free cash flow from its printing supplies (ink, toner) consumable business — a reliable recurring revenue stream
Commercial PC refresh cycle from AI PC features (NPU-equipped Windows 11 PCs) provides incremental upgrade demand
HP maintains strong market share in commercial printing with a loyal corporate customer base

HPE strengths

GreenLake is HPE's as-a-service hybrid cloud platform — providing subscription revenue that makes HPE's model less cyclical than traditional server sales
AI server demand is accelerating as enterprises and cloud providers invest in GPU compute infrastructure
Aruba networking is a growing high-margin business in enterprise WiFi and campus networking

Risks to watch — HPQ

PC market is in structural slow growth — refresh cycles have lengthened and the consumer PC market has matured significantly
Printer page volume is declining as paperless digital workflows reduce enterprise printing demand
Competition from Lenovo, Dell, and Apple in the commercial PC market creates pricing pressure

Risks to watch — HPE

AI server competition from Dell, Supermicro, and ODM manufacturers is intense — margins on GPU servers can be thin
GreenLake growth requires customers to commit to multi-year as-a-service agreements which can be slow to close
Traditional server hardware market is highly competitive and commoditizing as cloud displaces on-premise compute

Frequently asked questions

HP Inc. has more reliable FCF from printing supplies but limited long-term growth. HP Enterprise has AI server and GreenLake growth potential but more competitive margin risk. HP Inc. for stable FCF and dividend; HP Enterprise for AI infrastructure exposure with more execution risk.

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