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Agilent Technologies, Inc. (A) vs Bank of America Corporation (BAC): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-09-17, A is overvalued at $154, with a DCF intrinsic value of $98 and a margin of safety of -57%. BAC is undervalued at $58, with an intrinsic value of $142 and a margin of safety of 59%. Of the two, BAC has the wider margin of safety.

A
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
$153.69
VS
BAC
Bank of America Corporation
$57.90

Rewards

A
  • ★Agilent Technologies, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★Agilent Technologies, Inc. scores 77/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Altman Z-Score of 5.15 indicates very low bankruptcy risk — the company is firmly in the safe zone.
BAC
  • ★Bank of America Corporation scores 100/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★PEG ratio of 0.90 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.

Risks

A
  • ⚠Each dollar of retained earnings has produced only $0.08 of earning power — shareholders may have been better served by dividends.
  • ⚠FCF yield of 2.4% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
BAC
  • ⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.22 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.

Key Valuation Metrics

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A
BAC
Valuation
$1.06B
Free Cash Flow
N/A
2.45%
FCF Yield
N/A
30.31
Trailing P/E
13.37
22.74
Forward P/E
10.94
Quality & Moat
12.93%
ROIC
4.37%
20.97%
ROE
11.20%
53.65%
Gross Margin
0.00%
1.21
PEG Ratio
0.90
Balance Sheet Safety
0.32
Net Debt / Equity
N/A
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
1.15
Net Debt / EBITDA
N/A
0.66%
Dividend Yield
2.21%
A: 3Ties: 1BAC: 4
ABAC

Historical Fundamentals

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A

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

BAC

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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A
$-1.87
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$3.01B
Δ Market Cap
$-5.63B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
BAC
$2.37
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$55.63B
Δ Market Cap
+$131.83B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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A
56.6% Overvalued
Price is 56.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $153.69
Fair Value: $98.14
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
BAC
59.3% Margin of Safety
Price is 59.3% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $57.90
Fair Value: $142.10
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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A

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $154?

+15.3%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +18.2%

The market implies +15.3% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +18.2%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

BAC

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

Economic Moat Score

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A
77/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
BAC
100/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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A
-2.45
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
BAC
-2.31
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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A
Insiders 0.2%Institutions 95.5%Retail & Other 4.3%
No. of Institutional Holders1,606
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
BAC
Insiders 7.0%Institutions 71.3%Retail & Other 21.7%
No. of Institutional Holders4,542
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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A
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
BAC
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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A
1
Sells (3M)
6
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $3.17M
DOLSTEN MIKAEL
Director
$95,972
@ $151.38 · 2026-09-04
DOLSTEN MIKAEL
Director
$216,672
@ $135.42 · 2026-05-29
DOLSTEN MIKAEL
Director
$389,511
@ $149.81 · 2025-12-01
GONSALVES RODNEY
Officer
$464,956
@ $154.99 · 2025-11-26
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$130,492
@ $143.24 · 2025-11-18
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$1.87M
@ $150.00 · 2025-11-12
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$249,760
@ $124.88 · 2025-09-02
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$226,900
@ $113.45 · 2025-08-01
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$177,100
@ $117.44 · 2025-07-01
BROWN JUDY LYNNE GAWLIK
Director
$904.00
@ $129.14 · 2025-06-18
PODOLSKY DANIEL K
Director
$211,844
@ $116.46 · 2025-03-31
GONSALVES RODNEY
Officer
$232,691
@ $122.02 · 2025-03-17
RATAJ SUE H
Director
$881,009
@ $126.38 · 2025-03-06
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$286,650
@ $150.00 · 2025-01-21
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$7,050
@ $150.00 · 2024-09-27
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
BAC
0
Sells (3M)
5
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $20.17M
MENSAH BERNARD AMPONSAH
Officer
$4.41M
@ $46.94 · 2026-03-12
BRONSTEIN SHERI B
Officer
$2.99M
@ $49.91 · 2026-03-05
SCRIVENER THOMAS M
Officer
$2.49M
@ $49.82 · 2026-03-05
ATHANASIA DEAN C
President
$6.86M
@ $50.21 · 2026-03-03
BORTHWICK ALASTAIR M.
Chief Financial Officer
$3.42M
@ $50.24 · 2026-02-27
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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A
FearGreed
😐Neutral(60/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
BAC
FearGreed
😐Neutral(52/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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A
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (60)
BAC
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (52)
View A Full AnalysisView BAC Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: A vs BAC

Is Agilent Technologies, Inc. or Bank of America Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, BAC trades at a 59.3% margin of safety (intrinsic value $142 vs. price $58), compared to A's -56.6% margin of safety (intrinsic $98 vs. $154).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Agilent Technologies, Inc. or Bank of America Corporation?▼

BAC scores 100/100 (Wide moat), while A scores 77/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is Bank of America Corporation in financial distress?▼

BAC's Altman Z-Score of 0.2 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. A scores 5.2 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Agilent Technologies, Inc. or Bank of America Corporation?▼

A earns 12.9% ROIC versus BAC's 4.4%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, Agilent Technologies, Inc.'s or Bank of America Corporation's?▼

A's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to BAC's 79/100 (Safe). A has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

A vs BAC: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026? | SafetyMargin.io