Agilent Technologies

Solid Quarter For A Solid Company

Agilent (A), the tech equipment company that was spun-off from Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), reported solid results yesterday. While they might not drive the stock higher, it is a good stock to keep up to date with and buy on a market correction.

• Handset test measurement business was weak, which should not be a surprise since we have been blogging about weakness in the handset market for the past three or four months.
• Bio-analytical business is doing very well, having a "blow-out" quarter. Revenue was up 22% year-over-year. Operating profit in this business was up 69%. Sales to China and India were up 33% and 38%, respectively.

Many of the people who made HP into a great company decade after decade are with Agilent. The company is a strong product innovator and also is run increase shareholder value.

Keep an eye on Agilent and jump in during market sell-offs. Agilent has a strong balance sheet and good product innovation to be around for a long time.