Hewlett Packard Splitting in Two According to Wall Street Journal Reports

According to the Wall Street Journal, Hewlett Packard

is looking to split the PC and printer operations from hardware and services operations in an attempt to unlock shareholder value, following in the steps of the recent eBay

spinoff of PayPal. The company intends to make the announcement today, with the actual split occurring next year, with two new listed companies being created. The move, according to the Wall Street Journal, may reignite speculation n the industry about whether the separation could lead to more deal making, perhaps with EMC Corp

. Shares of HPQ are trading higher in the pre-market, up 5.66 percent at 37.20.