Hewlett-Packard Buys 3Com Stake: The Silicon Valley...

Hewlett-Packard Buys 3Com Stake: The Silicon Valley computer giant said it has acquired a 5% stake in 3Com Corp., a company that makes systems to tie personal computers together. The purchase of 1.45 million 3Com shares, which cost Hewlett-Packard about $27.4 million, was described as a strategic investment designed to help the two companies jointly develop and sell their office and engineering computer systems. HP said the agreement between the two companies allows it to increase its stake in 3Com to 10%.