( dpa ) - Technology giant Hewlett-Packard Co bucked the trend of a slowing economy Tuesday, reporting a fiscal second- quarter profit that rose 16 per cent from a year ago and delivered strong sales growth, led by increases in overseas revenue.
HP said it earned 2.1 billion dollars, or 80 cents a share, compared to profits of 1.8 billion dollars, or 65 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue rose 11 per cent to 28.3 billion dollars from 25.5 billion dollars last year.
Much of the increase came as international sales grew to comprise 70 per cent of HP's revenue. Revenue from China, Brazil, India and Russia grew by 26 per cent in the second quarter and accounted for 10 per cent of the company's total revenue. In the Americas, revenue grew by 4 per cent to 11.1 billion dollars.
HP's biggest gains came in its personal computer group, where sales rose 16 per cent to 10.1 billion dollars as sales of notebooks surged 21 per cent. Imaging and printing remained HP's most profitable division, with earnings of 1.2 billion dollars on sales of 7.6 billion dollars.