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Investing.com - Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) maintained a Neutral rating from BofA Securities, which raised its price target to $165.00 from $150.00 following the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report. The stock is currently trading at $153.60, just pennies below its 52-week high of $153.84, after posting an impressive 42% gain over the past six months. InvestingPro analysis suggests the stock is currently trading above its Fair Value, with a P/E ratio of 35.6.
The laboratory equipment maker reported sales of $1,861 million, representing 7.2% core growth, which exceeded BofA’s estimate of $1,833 million or 5.4% core growth. All three of Agilent’s segments outperformed expectations, with Life Sciences and Diagnostics Group growing 10.7%, Agilent CrossLab Group up 5.9%, and Applied Markets Group rising 3.3%. This performance contributes to Agilent’s solid financial health, reflected in its "GOOD" overall financial health score from InvestingPro.
Agilent posted an adjusted operating margin of 27.2%, slightly below the Street’s estimate of 27.4%, while adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.59, in line with consensus expectations.
Management introduced initial fiscal year 2026 guidance, projecting sales of $7.3-7.4 billion with core growth of 4-6%. The company also forecasts a 75 basis point improvement in operating margin and earnings per share between $5.86 and $6.00.
BofA Securities shifted its valuation model to fiscal year 2027, basing the new price target on approximately 21 times FY27 EV/EBITDA estimates, up from the previous valuation based on fiscal year 2026 projections.
In other recent news, Agilent Technologies reported its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, which exceeded analyst expectations. The company achieved earnings per share of $1.59, slightly above the forecasted $1.58. Agilent’s revenue also surpassed predictions, reaching $1.86 billion, which was $30 million more than anticipated. In addition to its earnings report, Evercore ISI adjusted its price target for Agilent, raising it from $140 to $155 while maintaining an "In Line" rating. The research firm noted Agilent’s strong performance, particularly highlighting double-digit growth in liquid chromatography and significant growth in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. These recent developments indicate a period of robust performance for Agilent Technologies.
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