HP Inc.: 10-K Risk Factor Changes

Our net revenue, gross margin, profit and cash flow generation vary among our portfolio of products and services, customer groups and geographic markets and therefore will likely vary in future periods. Overall gross margins and profitability in any given period are dependent on the product, service, customer and geographic mix reflected in that period’s net revenue, which in turn depends on the overall demand for our products and services. We have experienced and may in the future experience delays or reductions in spending by our customers or potential customers, which could have a material adverse effect on demand for our products and services and could result in a significant decline in net revenue. For example, we observed a competitive pricing environment, variability in commodity costs, demand softness in Print and demand softness in certain geographic regions in Personal Systems, secular declines in demand for certain products or solutions, including printing products and solutions, inflationary pressures, the imposition of new or increased tariffs and other trade restrictions, and foreign currency fluctuations. We have also observed significant inflationary trends in memory and storage costs. In addition, net revenue declines in some of our businesses may affect net revenue in our other businesses, as we may lose cross-selling opportunities. Our gross margins are also subject to volatility and downward pressure due to a variety of factors, including: continued industry-wide global product pricing pressures and product pricing actions that we may take in response to such pressures; increased competition; our ability to effectively stimulate demand for certain of our products and services; compressed product life cycles; supply shortages; potential increases in the cost of components; our ability to manage product quality and warranty costs effectively; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; inflation and other macroeconomic pressures; the imposition of new or increased tariffs and other trade restrictions; and the introduction of new products or services, including new products or services with lower profit margins. Moreover, newer geographic markets can be relatively less profitable due to our investments associated with entering those markets and local pricing pressures, as well as difficulty establishing and maintaining the operating infrastructure necessary to support the high growth rate associated with some of those markets. Our efforts to address the challenges facing our business could increase the level of variability in our financial results because the rate at which we are able to realize the benefits from those efforts may vary from period to period. These factors could also make it difficult to accurately forecast revenues and operating results and could negatively affect our ability to provide accurate forecasts to suppliers and manufacturers, manage our relationships and other expenses and to make decisions about future investments.

Our net revenue, gross margin, profit and cash flow generation vary among our portfolio of products and services, customer groups and geographic markets and therefore will likely vary in future periods. Overall gross margins and profitability in any given period are dependent on the product, service, customer and geographic mix reflected in that period’s net revenue, which in turn depends on the overall demand for our products and services. We have experienced and may in the future experience delays or reductions in spending by our customers or potential customers, which could have a material adverse effect on demand for our products and services and could result in a significant decline in net revenue. For example, we observed continued market uncertainty, cautious commercial spending on information technology hardware, lower discretionary consumer spending, secular declines in demand for certain products or solutions, including printing products and solutions, inflationary pressures, and foreign currency fluctuations. In addition, net revenue declines in some of our businesses may affect net revenue in our other businesses, as we may lose cross-selling opportunities. Moreover, newer geographic markets can be relatively less profitable due to our investments associated with entering those markets and local pricing pressures, as well as difficulty establishing and maintaining the operating infrastructure necessary to support the high growth rate associated with some of those markets. Our efforts to address the challenges facing our business could increase the level of variability in our financial results because the rate at which we are able to realize the benefits from those efforts may vary from period to period. These factors could also make it difficult to accurately forecast revenues and operating results and could negatively affect our ability to provide accurate forecasts to suppliers and manufacturers, manage our relationships and other expenses and to make decisions about future investments.