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Agilent Technologies, Inc. (A), headquartered in Santa Clara, California, offers application-focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. Valued at $38.4 billion by market cap, the company provides electronic and bio-analytical measurement, semiconductor, and board testing.
Shares of this global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies have underperformed the broader market over the past year. A has gained marginally over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied nearly 22.5%. In 2025, A stock is up marginally, compared to SPX’s 4.2% rise on a YTD basis.
Narrowing the focus, A’s underperformance is also apparent compared to Robo Global Healthcare Technology and Innovation ETF (HTEC). The exchange-traded fund has gained about 8.5% over the past year. Moreover, the ETF’s 5.8% gains on a YTD basis outshine the stock’s returns over the same time frame.
Agilent's underperformance stems from the decline in key markets, with weaker instrument sales affecting the life sciences and applied markets segment, and reduced demand for cell analysis instruments and NASD, impacting the diagnostics and genomics segment. Additionally, the ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions, along with macroeconomic and regulatory challenges in China, have impacted the company's operations and future growth potential.
On Nov. 25, A shares closed up marginally after reporting its Q4 results. Its adjusted EPS of $1.46 surpassed Wall Street expectations of $1.41. The company’s revenue was $1.70 billion, beating Wall Street forecasts of $1.67 billion. For fiscal 2025, A expects its adjusted EPS to be between $5.54 and $5.61 and expects revenue to be between $6.8 billion and $6.9 billion.
For fiscal 2025, ending in October, analysts expect A’s EPS to grow 5.1% to $5.56 on a diluted basis. The company’s earnings surprise history is impressive. It beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters.
Among the 16 analysts covering A stock, the consensus is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on eight “Strong Buy” ratings, and eight “Holds.”
This configuration is less bearish than a month ago, with one analyst suggesting a “Strong Sell.”
On Feb. 10, Barclays PLC (BCS) gave an “Equal Weight” rating on A with a price target of $145, implying a potential upside of 7.2% from current levels.
The mean price target of $152.86 represents a 13.1% premium to A’s current price levels. The Street-high price target of $165 suggests an upside potential of 22%.
