PREVIEW: Hewlett Packard Enterprise shares up 2%; results due after the bell

Shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE.N are up ~2% in midday trading Tues, with the AI server maker expected to report an increase in qtrly rev when it reports results after the closing bell

Q2 rev for HPE is seen increasing to $7.446 bln from $7.204 bln a yr ago, while the co is expected to report EPS of 32c/shr vs 42c a yr ago, according to LSEG

The co has beaten or met analyst earnings expectations in all of the past eight reporting periods, per LSEG

Analyst recommendations on the stock include eight "strong buy" or "buy" ratings and seven "hold" ratings

Evercore last month upgraded HPE to 'outperform' from 'in line,' saying current risk/reward is attractive for investors that have the duration, outlining several scenarios for potential upside

Earlier this yr, the DOJ sued to block HPE's deal to acquire Juniper Networks JNPR.N

The median 12-mo price target on HPE is $20.00, up from $17 a month ago​; the stock was last at $17.63

Including the session move, the stock is down about 17% YTD compared with a roughly 1% gain in the S&P 500 .SPX in that period​​​