Why Is Agilent (A) Down 12% Since Last Earnings Report?

Core Viewpoint - Agilent Technologies has experienced a 12% decline in share price over the past month, underperforming the S&P 500, raising questions about its future performance leading up to the next earnings release [1] Financial Performance - Agilent reported Q4 fiscal 2025 earnings of $1.59 per share, matching estimates and reflecting an 8.9% year-over-year increase [2] - Revenues reached $1.86 billion, exceeding estimates by 1.49%, with a reported increase of 9.4% and a core increase of 7.2% year-over-year [2] Segment Performance - Life Sciences and Diagnostics Markets Group (LDG) generated $755 million, accounting for 40.6% of total revenues, with a reported increase of 15% and a core increase of 11% year-over-year [3] - Agilent CrossLab Group (ACG) also reported revenues of $755 million, contributing 40.6% to total revenues, with a reported growth of 7% and a core growth of 6% year-over-year [4] - Applied Markets Group (AMG) revenues increased by 4% year-over-year to $351 million, representing 18.9% of total revenues, with a core increase of 3% [4] Operating Results - Gross margins for LDG, ACG, and AMG segments contracted, with LDG at 52.9% (down 90 bps), ACG at 54.9% (down 140 bps), and AMG at 54.6% (down 40 bps) year-over-year [5] - Non-GAAP operating margin for Q4 was 27.1%, a contraction of 30 bps year-over-year, with LDG's margin increasing to 22.7% (up 130 bps), while ACG and AMG margins decreased [7] Expenses - R&D expenses on a non-GAAP basis were $116 million, up 6.4% year-over-year, while SG&A expenses rose to $386 million, marking a 6.6% increase [6] - As a percentage of revenues, R&D expenses fell to 6.2% (down 20 bps), and SG&A expenses decreased to 20.7% (down 50 bps) year-over-year [6] Balance Sheet - As of October 31, 2025, Agilent's cash and cash equivalents increased to $1.78 billion from $1.54 billion as of July 31, 2025 [8] - Long-term debt decreased to $3.05 billion from $3.35 billion over the same period [8] Guidance - For Q1 fiscal 2026, Agilent expects revenues between $1.79 billion and $1.82 billion, indicating a 6% to 8% increase on a reported basis and 4% to 6% on a core basis [10] - For fiscal 2026, the revenue guidance is set between $7.3 billion and $7.4 billion, implying a 5% to 7% increase on a reported basis and 4% to 6% on a core basis, with non-GAAP earnings expected between $5.86 and $6.00 per share [10] Market Sentiment - Recent estimates for Agilent have trended downward, indicating a shift in market sentiment [11] - The company currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), suggesting an expectation of in-line returns in the coming months [13]