** Shares of HP Inc HPQ.N are down 0.8% in afternoon trading Thurs ahead of the personal computer maker's fiscal Q1 results due after the closing bell

** Analysts expect co to report an increase in rev to $13.36 bln from $13.19 bln and adj EPS of 74c vs 81c a yr ago, according to LSEG

** In late Nov, HP forecast its first-quarter profit below Wall Street expectations, signaling persistent choppy demand in the personal computers market

** The company has beaten or met analyst EPS expectations in seven of the past eight reporting periods, per LSEG

** Analyst recommendations on the stock include three "strong buy" or "buy" ratings, 12 "hold" ratings and one "sell" rating

** The median 12-mo price target is $36.75​, with the stock last at $33.59

** The stock is up ~3% YTD compared with a roughly 0.5% gain in the S&P 500 .SPX​​​

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch)

((caroline.valetkevitch@thomsonreuters.com))