HP to combine its PC and printing units in a bid to boost profit Hewlett-Packard Co. will combine its personal computer and printing units into one business as the tech giant looks for ways to increase profit. The new Printing and Personal Systems Group will be led by Todd Bradley, who has been executive vice president of the company's Personal Systems Group since 2005, the company said Wednesday. The realignment is also expected to provide cost savings and drive profit, fueling speculation among analysts that job cuts could follow. Since then, she has announced several changes to help turn around the company, the most high-profile being her decisions to keep its PC business instead of possibly spinning it off and to make its WebOS operating system available to the open-source community. "We believe there is no reason to get excited, as this is not a new move for the company," analyst Mark Moskowitz of JPMorgan wrote in a note to investors. Moskowitz said the move signaled the possibility that the company could be "cleaning up the businesses" ahead of a potential spinoff, which would provide a source of funds for HP to invest in its software and services platforms. Barclays Capital analyst Ben A. Reitzes said in an investor note that "the combination may provide some cost-saving opportunities, but would seem to come along with some execution risk." Shares of HP fell 52 cents, or 2.2%, to $23.46 on Wednesday. In addition to combining its PC and printing business, HP is streamlining other business functions, including marketing and communications. It has also moved its Global Accounts Sales Group to the newly named Enterprise Group, which oversees enterprise servers, storage, networking and technology services. "Ensuring we have the right organizational structure in place is a critical first step in driving improved execution, and increasing effectiveness and efficiency," Whitman said. The result will be a faster, more streamlined, performance-driven HP that is customer focused and poised to capitalize on rapidly shifting industry trends.