Agilent Technologies: Light and Shadow of a Scientific Innovation

Agilent Technologies, with a market value of $35.2 billion, is among the leading providers of specialized solutions in life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemistry. Within its three main segments - Life Sciences and Applied Markets; Diagnostics and Genomics; and Agilent CrossLab - the company offers a wide range of instruments, consumables, software, and services. Although Agilent clearly falls into the "Large-Cap" stock category with its valuation, the Santa Clara, California-based company has seen a decline of over 18% since its 52-week high. Over the past three months, the stock price increased by 5.3%, but lagged behind the performance of the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV), which gained 2.8% during the same period. During 2025, Agilent's stock fell by 6.1%, while XLV recorded an increase of 1.4%. On a 52-week basis, Agilent decreased by 9.1%, whereas XLV declined by 10.1%. Despite various fluctuations, the price has consistently exceeded the 50-day average since the end of May. A bright spot was the release of the Q3 results on August 27, when Agilent shares rose by 5.3%. The adjusted EPS was $1.37 and revenue amounted to $1.74 billion, both values exceeding expectations. Particularly strong were the Life Sciences and Diagnostics segment with revenue of $670 million and the CrossLab unit with $744 million. The optimistic revenue forecast of $6.91 to $6.93 billion for the full year and the narrow EPS range of $5.56 to $5.59 further boosted investor sentiment. In comparison, competitor Eli Lilly recorded a smaller decline of 1.8% over the year, but fell more significantly by 17.7% compared to Agilent’s annual performance in the 52-week comparison. Despite Agilent Technologies' rather weak price performance, analyst sentiment remains cautiously optimistic. The stock is rated as "Moderate Buy" by 17 analysts, with a median price target of $139.21 representing a 10.2% premium to the current level.