These tech leaders continue to impress us

Article Excerpt

Agilent’s spinoff of Keysight in November 2014 let each firm focus on its core strengths in its own niche markets. The split also continues to please investors—Agilent is up 230%, while Keysight has gained 385%. AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $126 is a buy. The company (New York symbol A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 300.0 million; Market cap: $37.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.3; Dividend yield: 0.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.agilent.com) makes specialized testing equipment for medical research laboratories and industrial clients. Its equipment includes mass spectrometers, used to analyze substances. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spur strong demand for Agilent equipment from pharmaceutical firms working on vaccines and new drugs. Demand from chemical and energy firms is also improving. In its fiscal 2022 first quarter, ended January 31, 2022, the company’s revenue rose 8.1%, to $1.67 billion from $1.55 billion a year earlier. If you disregard the contribution of recent acquisitions and currency exchange rates, revenue gained 8.9%. Thanks to an effective cost-control…