Agilent Technologies (A) Upgraded From Hold to Buy
Must Read: Warren Buffett's 25 Favorite StocksSTOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:
A's revenue growth trails the industry average of 25.6%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 5.1%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.52, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. To add to this, A has a quick ratio of 2.43, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
Compared to where it was a year ago today, the stock is now trading at a higher level, regardless of the company's weak earnings results. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year.
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC has experienced a steep decline in earnings per share in the most recent quarter in comparison to its performance from the same quarter a year ago. The company has suffered a declining pattern of earnings per share over the past two years. However, we anticipate this trend to reverse over the coming year. During the past fiscal year, AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC reported lower earnings of $1.47 versus $2.11 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.73 versus $1.47).