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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A), a $35 billion market cap company with a "GOOD" financial health rating according to InvestingPro, has released a new line of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns designed for biotherapeutics applications. The Agilent Altura Ultra Inert HPLC Columns aim to address the analytical challenges faced by biopharmaceutical companies developing peptide and oligonucleotide therapeutics.
The new columns feature proprietary Ultra Inert technology that delivers improved chromatographic performance, including faster conditioning, better peak shape, and enhanced sensitivity for complex analytes, according to a company press release.
Agilent reports the Altura columns demonstrate up to twice the sensitivity and three times the signal-to-noise ratio compared to competitor columns. When used with the Agilent 1290 III Bio LC system, the company claims up to 30 times higher peak area can be obtained.
The biopharmaceutical industry faces increasing regulatory requirements for detecting and characterizing impurities in complex therapeutics. The Altura columns were developed to meet these demands with improved performance under demanding operating conditions.
Piotr Alvarez, senior scientist at RIC Group in Belgium, noted in the press release that the Altura HILIC-Z HPLC column "substantially reduced the undesired analyte-surface interactions in the analysis of GLP-1 receptor agonist drug products," observing "at least a 30 percent increase in sensitivity and reduction in peak tailing for the analysis of acidic peptides and excipients."
The Altura line expands Agilent’s range of solutions supporting a fully inert sample flow path. The company generated revenue of $6.51 billion in fiscal year 2024 and employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide.
In other recent news, Agilent Technologies announced a quarterly dividend of 24.8 cents per share, payable on October 22, 2025, to shareholders of record as of September 30, 2025. The company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings exceeded expectations, with a reported organic growth of 6.1%, surpassing the consensus estimate of 3.6%. Agilent’s revenue growth was notably strong in pharmaceutical markets, which grew by 9%, and in its Chemical & Advanced Materials segment, which saw a 10% increase. TD Cowen maintained its Buy rating and $150.00 price target for Agilent, citing the company’s strong performance and positive outlook for the fiscal fourth quarter and 2026. KeyBanc reiterated its Sector Weight rating following Agilent’s earnings beat, highlighting balanced global revenue distribution. Bernstein SocGen Group reiterated a Market Perform rating with a $125.00 price target, emphasizing Agilent’s fifth consecutive quarter of sequential core revenue acceleration. These developments indicate a strong performance across various segments and geographical regions for Agilent Technologies.
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