Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)?

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NYSE. With many analysts covering the large-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s take a look at Agilent Technologies’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

View our latest analysis for Agilent Technologies

What's the opportunity in Agilent Technologies?

According to my valuation model, the stock is currently overvalued by about 32.92%, trading at US$77.55 compared to my intrinsic value of $58.34. This means that the opportunity to buy Agilent Technologies at a good price has disappeared! But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Agilent Technologies’s share price is quite volatile, this could mean it can sink lower (or rise even further) in the future, giving us another chance to invest. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

Can we expect growth from Agilent Technologies?

NYSE:A Past and Future Earnings, April 17th 2019
NYSE:A Past and Future Earnings, April 17th 2019

Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. However, with a negative profit growth of -12% expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth certainly doesn’t appear to be a driver for a buy decision for Agilent Technologies. This certainty tips the risk-return scale towards higher risk.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? If you believe A is currently trading above its value, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value can be profitable. Given the uncertainty from negative growth in the future, this could be the right time to de-risk your portfolio. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on A for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. Its price has risen beyond its true value, on top of a negative future outlook. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management. Should the price fall in the future, will you be well-informed enough to buy?

Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters – the fundamentals – before you make a decision on Agilent Technologies. You can find everything you need to know about Agilent Technologies in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Agilent Technologies, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.