You’re up 570% since 2014

Article Excerpt

KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $200 is still a buy for aggressive investors. The company (New York symbol KEYS; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 186.3 million; Market cap: $37.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 7.5; No dividend paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.keysight.com) makes an array of devices for testing electronic equipment. Overall revenue for the fiscal 2021 fourth quarter, ended October 31, 2021, rose 6.1%, to $1.29 billion from $1.22 billion a year earlier. That’s due to strong demand for equipment that tests semiconductor chips. Earnings before unusual items gained 10.8%, to $338 million from $305 million; per-share earnings improved 12.3%, to $1.82 from $1.62, on fewer shares outstanding. The stock has soared 570% since Agilent spun it off in 2014. It now trades at 29.0 times projected fiscal 2022 earnings of $6.90 a share. However, Keysight spends a high 16% of its revenue on research, so it’s more profitable than it seems. Investors also benefit from its plan to buy back up to $1.2…