Hewlett-Packard Co. chief makes direct appeal to Wall Street for

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Feb 27, 2002 by Staff

In a crucial, direct appeal to Wall Street, Hewlett-Packard Co. chief Carly Fiorina told analysts this morning that the $21.7 billion purchase of Compaq Computer Corp. is vital for the company and asked them to ignore the daily attacks from dissident director Walter Hewlett. With several large investors on record as being against the deal and the March 19 shareholder vote fast approaching, Fiorina kicked off a daylong meeting with analysts in New York by sticking to the themes she has sounded since the deal was announced Sept.

3. Fiorina explained how she believes Compaq will let HP offer more end- to-end packages to corporate customers, and she detailed the projected financial merits of the deal. In particular, she said, Compaq strengthens HP's hand in personal computers, Windows-based servers, data storage and high-tech services.