Hewlett-Packard's preliminary fourth-quarter report and fiscal 2009 outlook, issued on November 18, had blown past analysts' estimates, sending its shares soaring. The company affirmed those figures on Monday, and gave additional details about its business divisions.

HP posted fiscal fourth-quarter financial results in line with the technology giant's previous estimates, and affirmed its prior outlook for
2009 despite the grim economic climate. The results show a 21 percent rise in quarterly sales of notebook computers, and a near doubling in revenue from technology services, following its acquisition of Electronic Data Systems (EDS).

Chief Executive, Mark Hurd, said the No. 1 maker of personal computers is gaining market share in every segment, and is at or ahead of its integration plans for EDS. He added that HP's outlook was based on a cautious view of computer sales in what he called a 'challenging' environment.

The gains more than offset modest drops in HP's printers and servers businesses, helping net profit increase 4 percent and overall revenue rise 19 percent, in its fiscal fourth quarter ended October 31. For the first quarter of 2009, the company affirmed that it expects earnings excluding special items to be between 93 and 95 cents a share, and revenue to be between $32 billion and $32.5 billion.

Bill Kreher, an analyst at Edward Jones, said about HP's report: "We were impressed with the notebook revenue. They were easily able to outpace peers in a pretty tough environment. They certainly benefited from the acquisition of EDS. It bears fruit in the results, which are still strong in my opinion. We have a buy rating."