SAN JOSE, Calif. — Hewlett-Packard Co. is widely expected to cut thousands of jobs next week as part of a long-expected restructuring that will attempt to bring the computer maker's costs in line with business and its rivals' numbers, according to industry analysts.

The exact timing and number of layoffs isn't known, though observers speculate layoffs could range between 5,000 and 25,000 positions. The huge company, whose offerings range from digital cameras and printers to computers and corporate consulting, has 150,000 workers worldwide.

Shares of HP gained 32 cents, or 1.3 percent, to close at a 52-week high of $24.94, in trading yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has gained about 15 percent since HP named NCR Corp. executive Mark Hurd as its new CEO in March, replacing the ousted Carly Fiorina.

Hurd has made no secret of his intent to reduce expenses at the Palo Alto-based company.

Alexa Hanes, an HP spokeswoman, declined to comment yesterday on "rumors and speculation." Some HP workers have taken to calling the upcoming news "the Big One," according to the San Jose Mercury News.

In a research report Thursday, Moors & Cabot analyst Cindy Shaw said a management reorganization could be announced as early as Monday — and could include as many as 25,000 job cuts. She also said the company might announce the expected retirement of chief financial officer Bob Wayman. Shaw did not say how she obtained that information.

In June, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst Toni Sacconaghi estimated the job cuts would range between 7,500 and 15,000 with HP enterprise and services division "likely to present the biggest opportunities."