Bernstein analysts downgraded HP Enterprise (NYSE:HPE) from Outperform to Market Perform, with a revised price target of $17.00, down from $20.00. The analysts' comments reflect concerns about HPE's growth strategy and its recent acquisition of Juniper Networks.

The initial investment thesis for HPE was based on its low valuation and potential for value creation through cash returns to shareholders or strategic moves to unlock portfolio value. However, the analysts believe the acquisition of Juniper Networks compromises these opportunities.

They noted that this acquisition puts HPE in a net debt position and commits it to a significant integration process over the next one to two years. The analysts expressed skepticism about the acquisition's impact on HPE's growth profile, which they identify as the main barrier to improving the company's stock multiple. They suggest that HPE would have been better served by acquiring smaller, high-growth assets, similar to IBM's strategy and HPE's previous acquisitions like Aruba and SilverPeak, rather than opting for Juniper Networks, which has shown less than 2% revenue growth over the past ten years.

The analysts also positioned their revenue and EPS forecasts for HPE below the consensus for 2024. They highlighted the company's optimistic guidance, which seems heavily reliant on performance in the latter half of the year, and questioned the feasibility of the targets set for Aruba.