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Investing.com - Stifel raised its price target on Agilent (NYSE:A) to $170 from $151 while maintaining a Buy rating following the company’s fiscal year 2025 performance. The new target represents potential upside from the current price of $158.56, with InvestingPro data showing the stock has already delivered an impressive 42.11% return over the past six months.
The life sciences company reported results that exceeded expectations, with a top-line beat and earnings per share coming in one cent above consensus estimates. Agilent posted diluted EPS of $4.28 for the last twelve months with revenue reaching $6.79 billion, representing 4.48% year-over-year growth.
Stifel noted particularly positive management commentary regarding biopharma market conditions, citing more liberal spending following Most Favored Nation (MFN) developments, continued liquid chromatography replacement cycle uptake, solid trends in NASD, and potential onshoring demand in fiscal 2026. This positive outlook is supported by Agilent’s strong financial position, with InvestingPro showing the company maintains a healthy current ratio of 2.25 and operates with a moderate debt level.
Management’s organic growth outlook of 4-6% for fiscal year 2026 aligns with Street expectations of 5%, with Stifel suggesting the potential for upward estimate revisions if market conditions remain favorable.
While tax impacts are expected to reduce earnings per share growth by approximately two percentage points, Stifel highlighted pricing tailwinds, Ignite program actions, and cost controls as positive factors for bottom-line performance beyond the midpoint of guidance.
In other recent news, Agilent Technologies reported a robust fourth-quarter performance, with earnings per share surpassing expectations at $1.59 compared to the forecasted $1.58. The company’s revenue also exceeded predictions, reaching $1.86 billion, which was $30 million higher than anticipated. This strong performance led UBS to raise its price target for Agilent to $180, maintaining a Buy rating, citing the company’s core organic revenue growth of approximately 7.2%. Leerink Partners followed suit, increasing its price target to $165 while maintaining an Outperform rating, highlighting Agilent’s top-line beat and initiating fiscal year 2026 guidance in line with expectations.
BofA Securities maintained a Neutral rating but raised its price target to $165, noting Agilent’s sales of $1,861 million and impressive growth across all segments. Evercore ISI also increased its price target to $155, emphasizing the company’s strong performance in liquid chromatography and related technologies. These developments reflect Agilent’s ability to exceed market expectations and deliver solid growth, as evidenced by the recent analyst upgrades.
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