Price movement over the last 24 hours
Agilent Technologies Inc vs Valero Energy Corporation — how do they compare? Agilent Technologies Inc trades at $128.67 (market cap $37.04B), while Valero Energy Corporation trades at $279.99 (market cap $79.05B). The key difference: Valero Energy Corporation is far larger — about 2.1× Agilent Technologies Inc's market cap, and Valero Energy Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.8%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| A | VLO | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $37.04B | $79.05B |
Sector | Health | Energy |
52-Week High | $157.20 | $270.32 |
52-Week Low | $110.24 | $131.77 |
Enterprise Value | $38.59B | $84.81B |
Dividend Yield | 0.78% | 1.8% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Agilent Technologies (A) trades at $131.14, up 0.34% on the day, with a bearish technical signal but strong analyst support. The stock shows solid profitability with a net margin of 19.55% and ROE of 21.33%, supported by recent earnings beats. Recent acquisitions like Biocare Medical highlight growth initiatives, while cash flow trends remain positive. Valuation ratios such as P/E of 26.22 are elevated but align with quality growth expectations.
The outlook is positive given analyst consensus with a $154.90 price target and 77.5% buy ratings. Risks include execution of acquisitions and macroeconomic pressures on life sciences spending. The stock offers growth potential from AI-driven product launches, though technical resistance near $132 may cap near-term gains.
Valero Energy (VLO) trades at $266.22, down 0.58% on the day, with strong technical momentum showing bullish moving averages and key resistance at $270. The company has consistently beaten earnings estimates in recent quarters, with Q2 2026 expected at $10.08 EPS. Fundamentals show solid profitability with 17.72% ROE and attractive valuation metrics including P/E of 19.75 and P/S of 0.66. Recent news highlights VLO's refining strength and renewable fuels growth potential.
VLO presents a compelling investment case with strong analyst support (58% buy ratings) and a consensus price target of $258.25. The company's Gulf Coast refining advantage and clean-fuel initiatives support long-term growth, though investors face risks from energy market volatility and declining revenue trends from $176.4B in 2022 to $122.7B in 2025. The current price near resistance levels suggests potential for breakout or consolidation.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Originally spun out of Hewlett-Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved into a leading life sciences and diagnostics firm. Today, Agilent's measurement technologies serve a broad base of customers with its three operating segments: life science and applied tools (45% of fiscal 2021 sales), cross lab (35% of sales consisting of consumables and services related to its life science and applied tools), and diagnostics and genomics (20%). Over half of its sales are generated from the biopharmaceutical, chemical, and energy end markets, but it also supports clinical lab, environmental, forensics, food, academic, and government-related organizations. The company is geographically diverse, with operations in the U.S. (34%) and China (20%) representing the largest country concentrations.
Read more on A →Valero Energy is one of the largest independent refiners in the United States. It operates 14 refineries with a total throughput capacity of 3.2 million barrels a day in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Valero also owns 14 ethanol plants with capacity of 1.7 billion gallons of ethanol a year and holds a 50% stake in Diamond Green Diesel, which has capacity to produce 700 million gallons per year of renewable diesel.
Read more on VLO →