Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) versus Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA) Head-To-Head Review

Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA) and Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation, earnings, risk and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

99.1% of Azenta shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.4% of Agilent Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. 10.9% of Azenta shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Agilent Technologies shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Azenta and Agilent Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Azenta	-20.63%	1.18%	0.97%
Agilent Technologies	19.53%	24.45%	13.09%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Azenta and Agilent Technologies”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Azenta	$593.82 million	2.28	-$55.76 million	($2.76)	-11.18
Agilent Technologies	$7.37 billion	5.62	$1.30 billion	$5.08	28.92

Agilent Technologies has higher revenue and earnings than Azenta. Azenta is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Agilent Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Azenta has a beta of 1.39, suggesting that its share price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Agilent Technologies has a beta of 1.24, suggesting that its share price is 24% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Azenta and Agilent Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Azenta	1	2	4	0	2.43
Agilent Technologies	0	5	14	1	2.80

Azenta currently has a consensus price target of $41.20, suggesting a potential upside of 33.55%. Agilent Technologies has a consensus price target of $170.33, suggesting a potential upside of 15.95%. Given Azenta’s higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Azenta is more favorable than Agilent Technologies.

Summary

Agilent Technologies beats Azenta on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Azenta

Azenta, Inc. provides biological and chemical compound sample exploration and management solutions for the life sciences market in North America, Africa, China, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company operates in two reportable segments, Life Sciences Products and Life Sciences Services. The Life Sciences Products segment offers automated cold storage solutions, consumables and instruments, controlled rate thawing devices, and temperature-controlled storage and transportation solutions. This segment also provides sample management solutions, such as consumable vials and tubes, polymerase chain reaction, plates, instruments for supporting workflows, and informatics. The Life Sciences Services segment provides genomic services, that includes gene sequencing and gene synthesis services; and sample repository solutions, such as on-site and off-site sample storage, cold chain logistics, sample transport and collection relocation, bio-processing solutions, disaster recovery and business continuity, and biospecimen procurement services, as well as project management and consulting services for genomic analysis and the management and care of biological samples used in pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare, clinical, and academic research, and development sectors. It serves a range of life science customers, including pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, biorepositories, and research institutes. The company was formerly known as Brooks Automation, Inc. and changed its name to Azenta, Inc. in December 2021. Azenta, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc. provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment focuses on genomics, nucleic acid contract manufacturing and research and development, pathology, companion diagnostics, reagent partnership, and biomolecular analysis businesses. The Agilent CrossLab segment provides GC and LC columns, sample preparation products, custom chemistries, and laboratory instrument supplies; and offers services portfolio, including repairs, parts, maintenance, installations, training, compliance support, software as a service, asset management, and consulting services. The company markets its products through direct sales, distributors, resellers, manufacturer’s representatives, and electronic commerce. Agilent Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.