Agilent Beats on Profits, but Guidance Does Not Match Analyst Expectations

Third-quarter orders dropped 6% year-over-year to $953 million. Adjusted to exclude the impact of currency exchange rates, the NMR business and acquisitions and divestitures in the past 12 months, orders rose 3% and revenues rose 9%.

The company’s CEO, Mike McMullen, said:

Agilent delivered excellent results for our shareholders in the third quarter. Revenue was at the high end of our guidance, and earnings per share were above our guidance range. Our operating model is driving above-market revenue growth and margin expansion. In Q3, we delivered an adjusted operating margin of 19.9 percent(4), up 110 basis points from last year.

Agilent expects fourth-quarter 2015 revenue in the range of $1.03 billion to $1.05 billion. Fourth-quarter non-GAAP earnings are expected to be in the range of $0.45 to $0.49 per share. Consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.50 on revenues of $1.06 billion

For fiscal year 2015, Agilent forecast revenue of $4.03 billion to $4.05 billion and non-GAAP earnings of $1.68 to $1.72 per share.  Analysts are looking for EPS of $1.70 on revenues of $4.06 billion.

In Monday’s after-hours session, Agilent shares traded down about 0.2% at $38.76 after closing the regular trading session up 0.44% at $38.82. The stock’s 52-week range is $35.62 to $43.59. The consensus price target is $45.50.

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