Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ) may consider buying Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (BRCD), as the latter has put itself up for sale. Brocade, which sells routers, switches and software to help companies manage networks, is scouting for potential buyers. The process is in the nascent stages and HP is a strong contender in buying the company as both companies share a similar line of business. Hewlett-Packard’s acquisition of Brocade will strengthen its grip on the networking equipment market. The company is one of the leading personal computer (PC) makers in the world. It also manufactures servers, which are used by companies in data center operations across the globe. We believe that the addition of the networking product line will increase HP’s global market share in this segment and strongly position it versus other leading PC manufacturers that are increasingly moving in the same direction. Historically, the ...