These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and these measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s results as reported under GAAP. Some of the limitations in relying on these non-GAAP financial measures are:
- Items such as amortization of intangible assets, though not directly affecting Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s cash position, represent the loss in value of intangible assets over time. The expense associated with this loss in value is not included in non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings from continuing operations, non-GAAP net (loss) earnings from discontinued operations, non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations and non-GAAP diluted net (loss) earnings per share from discontinued operations, and therefore does not reflect the full economic effect of the loss in value of those intangible assets.
- Items such as restructuring charges, separation costs, transformation costs and disaster charges that are excluded from non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings from continuing operations, non-GAAP net (loss) earnings from discontinued operations, non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations and non-GAAP diluted net (loss) earnings per share from discontinued operations can have a material impact on the equivalent GAAP earnings measure and cash flows.
- Items such as tax indemnification adjustments, income tax valuation allowances and separation taxes, the impact of U.S. tax reform, excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation and the related tax impacts from other non-GAAP measures that are excluded from the non-GAAP tax rate, non-GAAP net earnings from continuing operations, non-GAAP earnings (loss) from discontinued operations, non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations and non-GAAP diluted net (loss) earnings per share from discontinued operations can have a material impact on the equivalent GAAP earnings measure and cash flows.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise may not be able to immediately liquidate the short-term and long-term investments included in gross cash, which may limit the usefulness of gross cash as a liquidity measure.
- Other companies may calculate revenue on a constant currency basis, non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings from continuing operations, non-GAAP net (loss) earnings from discontinued operations, non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations and non-GAAP diluted net (loss) earnings per share from discontinued operations differently than Hewlett Packard Enterprise does, limiting the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes.
Compensation for limitations associated with use of non-GAAP financial measures
Hewlett Packard Enterprise compensates for the limitations on its use of non-GAAP financial measures by relying primarily on its GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures only as supplement. Hewlett Packard Enterprise also provides a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to its most directly comparable GAAP measure within this news release and in other written materials that include these non-GAAP financial measures, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise encourages investors to review carefully those reconciliations.
Usefulness of non-GAAP financial measures to investors
Hewlett Packard Enterprise believes that providing revenue on a constant currency basis, revenue adjusted for divestitures and currency, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP income tax rate, non-GAAP net earnings from continuing operations, non-GAAP net (loss) earnings from discontinued operations, non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations and non-GAAP diluted net (loss) earnings per share from discontinued operations, gross cash, free cash flow, net capital expenditures, net debt, net cash, operating company net debt and operating company net cash financial measures to investors in addition to the related GAAP measures provides investors with greater transparency to the information used by Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s management in its financial and operational decision making and allows investors to see Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s results “through the eyes” of management. Hewlett Packard Enterprise further believes that providing this information better enables Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s investors to understand Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s operating performance and to evaluate the efficacy of the methodology and information used by Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s management to evaluate and measure such performance. Disclosure of these non-GAAP financial measures also facilitates comparisons of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s operating performance with the performance of other companies in Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s industry that supplement their GAAP results with non-GAAP financial measures that may be calculated in a similar manner.
Editorial contact
Kate Holderness,
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
corpmediarelations@hpe.com
HPE Investor Relations
Investor.relations@hpe.com
