NEW YORK — Xerox Corp. will announce Friday that it’s splitting itself into two companies, essentially unwinding its largest-ever acquisition, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Famous as the brand behind the copier machine, now-struggling Xerox will divide itself into one company for hardware operations and another for its services business, according to the Journal. Xerox will announce the move when it reports earnings on Friday, the newspaper said.

Carl Icahn will get three seats on the services company’s board, the newspaper reported.

A spokesman for Norwalk, Conn.-based Xerox had no comment on the report. Icahn did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In November, Icahn said he had taken a 7.13 percent stake in Xerox, in the belief the shares were undervalued. At the time, he said he intended to speak with executives and the board to improve operational performance and pursue strategic alternatives. Xerox said earlier that it was conducting a broad-based review of structural options for the company’s business portfolio and capital allocation.

With a split, Xerox would basically unravel its purchase of Affiliated Computer Services Inc., which it bought in 2010 for $6.2 billion.

Xerox shares fell 1.7 percent Thursday in extended trading in New York to $9.07. They have fallen 13 percent so far this year, compared with a 7.4 percent drop in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index.