Agilent earnings rise 9%, but sales are flat

MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Agilent Technologies Inc. on Thursday reported a fiscal first-quarter profit of $195 million, or 58 cents a share, compared with earnings of $179 million, or 51 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue remained flat at $1.68 billion. Excluding one-time items, Agilent would have earned 67 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast Agilent to earn 66 cents a share on $1.69 billion in sales. The company also said it has chosen Keysight Technologies as the name of the electronic measurement business it will spinoff later this year. Agilent shares were down by more than 5% in after-hours trading as the company gave a weaker-than-expected second-quarter forecast.Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.