Evercore ISI upgraded shares of HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) to Outperform from In Line on Monday, with analysts raising the stock price target to $40 from 33 per share.
The analysts said in a note to clients that they see "a multitude of tailwinds" that can power HPQ to more than $4 of EPS in the next 12 to 24 months.
"Notably, we think much of this double-digit EPS CAGR will come from buybacks and OPEX controls vs. being revenue dependent," wrote the analysts.
In addition, their now bullish stance on the stock is fuelled by the expected PC recovery in CY24. "Incoming data points and industry comments underscore our belief that the PC market is poised for a strong recovery in CY24," they wrote. "Management expects to see the PC market growing slightly in CY24 and believes that the AI PC will double the expected market growth rate from CY24-26."
Evercore ISI believes HP is well positioned with over 65% exposure to commercial PCs, which they believe should result in tailwinds from a strong refresh cycle.
The analysts also pointed to the company's higher operating margins in Print being durable and upside from stronger-than-forecast buybacks as other reasons the firm is now bullish on the stock.
"In the medium-term (next 2yrs), we think buybacks could add 30-50c in EPS, representing a ~15% share count reduction," the analysts added.