H-P decided against a South Africa pullout.

Shareholders voting at Hewlett-Packard Corp.’s annual meeting rejected a proposal by a margin of more than 8-1 that the high-technology company withdraw from the racially divided country, where it employs 260 and generates $37 million in annual sales. It was the fourth such vote in six years. The meeting also marked the retirement of co-founder William R. Hewlett as vice chairman of the Palo Alto firm’s board.