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Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

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Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

The common stock of Hewlett Packard Enterprise is listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") with the ticker symbol "HPE".

Holders

According to the records of our transfer agent, there were 54,317 stockholders of record of Hewlett Packard Enterprise common stock as of November 30, 2020.

Dividend

During fiscal 2020, we paid a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share to our shareholders. On December 1, 2020 we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share, payable on or about January 6, 2021, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 9, 2020.

The payment of any dividends in the future, and the timing and amount thereof, is within the discretion of our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors' decisions regarding the payment of dividends will depend on many factors, such as our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements, debt service obligations, restrictive covenants in our debt, industry practice, legal requirements, regulatory constraints, and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. Our ability to pay dividends will depend on our ongoing ability to generate cash from operations and on our access to the capital markets. We cannot guarantee that we will continue to pay a dividend in any future period.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

On October 13, 2015, the Company's Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program with a $3.0 billion authorization, which was refreshed with additional share repurchase authorizations of $3.0 billion, $5.0 billion and $2.5 billion on May 24, 2016, October 16, 2017 and February 21, 2018, respectively. This program, which does not have a specific expiration date, authorizes repurchases in the open market or in private transactions. The Company may choose to repurchase shares when sufficient liquidity exists and the shares are trading at a discount relative to estimated intrinsic value.

During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, the Company repurchased and settled 25.3 million shares of the Company's common stock, which included 0.5 million shares that were unsettled open market purchases as of October 31, 2019. On April 6, 2020, the Company announced that it suspended purchases under its share repurchase program in response to the global economic uncertainty that resulted from the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus. As of October 31, 2020, the Company had no unsettled open market repurchases. Shares repurchased during fiscal 2020 were recorded as a $346 million reduction to stockholders' equity. As of October 31, 2020, the Company had a remaining authorization of $2.1 billion for future share repurchases.

Stock Performance Graph and Cumulative Total Return

The graph below shows the cumulative total stockholder return, the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Information Technology Index. This graph covers the period from November 2, 2015 (the first day HPE's common stock began trading "regular-way" on the NYSE) through October 31, 2020. This graph assumes the investment of $100 in the stock or the index on November 2, 2015 (and the reinvestment of dividends thereafter). On April 1, 2017, we completed the separation and merger of our Enterprise Services business with DXC. HPE stockholders received 0.085904 shares of common stock in the new company for every one share of HPE common stock held at the close of business on the record date. On September 1, 2017, we completed the separation and merger of our Software business segment with Micro Focus. HPE stockholders received 0.13732611 American Depository Shares ("Micro Focus ADSs") in the new company, each of which represents one ordinary share of Micro Focus, for every one share of HPE common stock held at the close of business on the record date. The effect of the Everett and Seattle Transactions are reflected in the cumulative total return as reinvested dividends. The comparisons in the graph below are based on historical data and are not indicative of, or intended to forecast, future performance of our common stock.

hpe-20201031_g1.jpg

11/201510/201610/201710/201810/201910/2020
Hewlett Packard Enterprise$100.00$157.00$169.80$190.36$211.12$115.85
S&P 500 Index$100.00$103.27$127.67$137.04$156.66$171.85
S&P Information Technology Index$100.00$109.74$152.49$171.25$209.93$282.32

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