A Stock Analysis — Agilent Technologies
Sector: Healthcare
AI Verdict
Agilent trades at 19.8x next year's earnings with 31.3% EPS growth expected, making it cheap for the growth on offer if its lab instrument moat keeps customer churn low.
Competitive Moat
Agilent builds analytical instruments and software for life sciences and diagnostics, with a defensible position thanks to proprietary chemistries and deep integration into lab workflows. High switching costs and regulatory-validated platforms lock in customers for years.
Summary
A sharp drop in forward P/E to 19.8x with 31.3% expected EPS growth puts Agilent in the spotlight for value-focused growth investors.
Where It Stands
Agilent returned 6.66% over the past year, trades at 19.8x next year's earnings (below the 22x healthcare median), and its RSI of 51.4 signals a neutral setup.
Key Metrics
- RSI: 51.4 — Neutral
- Trailing P/E: 25.9x
- Forward P/E: 19.8x
- PEG Ratio: 0.79
- Earnings Growth: +0.3%
- Revenue Growth: +0.1%
- Market Cap: $36.5B
- Dividend Yield: 0.01%
- 1-Year Return: 6.66%
- 52-Week High: $160.27
- 52-Week Low: $108.35
Analyst Consensus
23 Buy · 6 Hold · 0 Sell (29 analysts)
Bull Case
With analysts forecasting 31.3% EPS growth and a forward P/E of 19.8x, you're paying a low multiple for substantial earnings acceleration.
Bear Case
If the forward P/E reverts to the trailing 25.9x level, the stock could see a 31% jump in valuation expectations that may not be sustainable if growth stalls.
Catalyst to Watch
Watch for upcoming earnings guidance—if management reaffirms or raises the 31.3% EPS growth outlook, the current valuation could look even cheaper.