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Will New Technologies Benefit Agilent (A) in Q1 Earnings?

Agilent Technologies A is set to report fiscal first-quarter 2019 results on Feb 20. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 10.96%.

Agilent’s surprise history has been pretty impressive. It beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters, with average positive earnings surprise of 7.78%.

Notably, Agilent’s shares have gained 8.8% compared with the industry’s growth of 2.7% over the past year.

Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Strength in ACG Segment to Drive Revenues

In the last reported quarter, revenues from the Agilent Cross Lab Group (ACG) came in at $441 million. Both services and consumables recorded growth across all geographical regions.

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The figure is expected to further increase in the to-be-reported quarter, driven by strength in services and consumables across all geographical regions.

Strength in DGG & LSAG

In the last reported quarter, revenues from the company’s Diagnostics and Genomics Group (DGG) came in at $256 million, up on a year-over-year basis, driven by growth in pharma, along with strength in genomics and NASD products. The segment is also expected to have performed well in the soon-to-be-reported quarter.

Also, the Life Sciences & Applied Markets Group (LSAG) segment is likely to have performed well in the fourth quarter, driven by strong performances in chemical and energy, as well as pharma and environmental markets.

Other Growth Drivers

Agilent is a broad-based OEM of test and measurement equipment. The company shifted its focus on life sciences, genomics, diagnostics and wireless test markets, wherein it has made a few important acquisitions, as well as alliances.

Agilent’s broad-based portfolio and increased focus on its segments offer higher growth potential. The company’s decision to divest/wind up underperforming businesses has enhanced its focus on the new Agilent, while enabling expansion of a solid recurring revenue base, along with the diversification of geographic and industrial operations for growth. Also, the company’s focus on aligning investments toward more attractive growth avenues and innovative product launches is a positive.

What Our Model Suggests

According to the Zacks model, a company with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) has a good chance of beating estimates if it also has a positive Earnings ESP.

Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) stocks are best avoided, especially if these have a negative Earnings ESP. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Agilent currently has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%, a combination that makes surprise prediction difficult in the to-be-reported quarter.

Agilent Technologies, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

 

Agilent Technologies, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Agilent Technologies, Inc. Quote

Stocks to Consider

We see a likely earnings beat for each of the following companies in the upcoming releases:

Frontline Ltd. FRO has an Earnings ESP of +4.17% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Square, Inc. SQ has an Earnings ESP of +5.95% and a Zacks Rank #2.

Gogo Inc. GOGO has an Earnings ESP of +9.46% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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