Keysight will rebound

Article Excerpt

KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $130 is still a buy for aggressive investors. The company (New York symbol KEYS; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 177.8 million; Market cap: $23.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.1; No dividend paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.keysight.com) makes an array of devices for testing electronic equipment. The stock dropped 10% recently on concerns that China’s slowing economy will hurt demand for its communication and chip testing equipment. However, demand from automotive, aerospace and defence clients remains strong. Keysight’s orders in its fiscal 2023 third quarter, ended July 31, 2023, fell 14.9%, to $1.24 billion from $1.46 billion a year earlier. Meantime, its revenue in the quarter rose just 0.4%, to $1.382 billion from $1,376 billion. If you factor out acquisitions and exchange rates, revenue gained 0.9%. Earnings before unusual items also gained 8.3%, to $393 million from $363 million; per-share earnings improved 9.0%, to $2.19 from $2.01, on fewer shares outstanding. The stock now trades at 15.8 times projected fiscal 2023…