Hewlett-Packard is back in the market for acquisitions of up to US$1.5 billion, Chief Executive Meg Whitman said in a televised interview, aiming for smaller deals after a flurry of outsized purchases in past years.
Whitman, speaking a day after she switched out the chief of the company’s Enterprise group and said HP’s second-largest unit had fallen down on sales and product execution, told business channel CNBC the company could also do deals in the US$100 million to US$300 million range.
“We have our eye on a number of areas,” the executive said in the interview. Whitman did not elaborate on specific targets but explained how the company could use acquisitions.
“Acquisitions will become part of our future, to further some of our strategic initiatives and shore up some of the product holes,” she said.
“We don’t need a five or six billion dollar acquisition. I think there are acquisitions in the US$100 million, US$300 million range, maybe some up to one to US$1.5 billion that we might be interested in.”
She also ruled out the idea of breaking up HP or selling assets.
