Agilent’s Balanced Outlook: Hold Rating Amid Tariff Challenges and Future Margin Improvements

Agilent (A – Research Report), the Healthcare sector company, was revisited by a Wall Street analyst today. Analyst Michael Ryskin from Bank of America Securities reiterated a Hold rating on the stock and has a $128.00 price target.

Michael Ryskin has given his Hold rating due to a combination of factors influencing Agilent’s current market position. While Agilent has shown steady progress with a positive book-to-bill ratio and continued investment from pharmaceutical customers, there are challenges such as the impact of tariffs and logistical issues in China affecting their instrument business. These factors have balanced out without a net impact, but management expects these dynamics to reverse in the upcoming quarter.
Additionally, while Agilent’s margins are expected to remain flat in the near term due to tariff-related costs, there is an anticipation of margin improvement in 2026 as these impacts are mitigated. Despite the company’s improved product mix and growth drivers, the valuation appears fair given the limited visibility into market recovery. The maintained EPS guidance, partly supported by non-operational items, also contributes to the Hold rating, reflecting a cautious outlook on the stock’s potential for significant near-term gains.

In another report released today, Barclays also maintained a Hold rating on the stock with a $115.00 price target.

Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 68 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders selling their shares of A in relation to earlier this year.