A vs QGEN vs TWST Stock Comparison

Agilent Technologies, Qiagen and Twist Bioscience Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
A Agilent Technologies, Inc.
$181.54 +3.6% 1M +24.5% 1Y
Market cap
$51.19B
P/E
35.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.37B
Div. yield
0.57%
Life Sciences Tools Healthcare
5 wins
QGEN Qiagen N.V.
$50.33 +11.8% 1M -0.3% 1Y
Market cap
$10.92B
P/E
26.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.10B
Div. yield
5.25%
Life Sciences Tools Healthcare
4 wins
TWST Twist Bioscience Corp
$173.45 -3.4% 1M +416.7% 1Y
Market cap
$10.87B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$431.80M
Div. yield
–
Life Sciences Tools Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Agilent Technologies leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Agilent Technologies 5, Qiagen 4, Twist Bioscience 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAQGENTWSTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $51.19B $10.92B $10.87B A
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 35.6x 26.7x -79.1x QGEN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.8x 21.4x — QGEN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.6% +3.0% +19.2% TWST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 19.5% 19.5% -31.7% A
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.1% 7.9% -31.1% A
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 1.3x 1.3x A
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.57% 5.25% — QGEN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +24.5% -0.3% +416.7% TWST
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.9%/yr -4.2%/yr +7.9%/yr TWST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.4% 35.7% 79.1% A
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 71/100 51/100 QGEN

Percentile Scorecard

AQGENTWST

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAQGENTWST
Valuation 57 #98 of 227 76 #55 of 227 30 #159 of 227
Growth 36 #140 of 219 30 #153 of 219 55 #99 of 219
Profitability 91 #19 of 205 93 #16 of 205 41 #122 of 205
Financial Health 56 #106 of 237 63 #88 of 237 73 #65 of 237
Shareholder Returns 70 #41 of 135 94 #9 of 135 55 #62 of 135
Overall 62 71 51
  • A ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • QGEN ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • TWST ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAQGENTWSTSPY
1 month +3.6%+11.8%-3.4% +0.9%
3 months +29.4%+20.3%+102.9% +5.9%
6 months +63.1%+49.7%+205.9% +8.5%
Year to date +33.4%+6.3%+446.8% +13.3%
1 year +24.5%-0.3%+416.7% +12.4%
3 years +76.6%+24.9%+1,047.9% +88.1%
3 years, per year +20.9%+7.7%+125.7% +23.5%
5 years +15.3%-19.1%+46.0% +68.2%
5 years, per year +2.9%-4.2%+7.9% +11.0%
10 years +320.0%+75.6%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +15.4%+5.8%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureAQGENTWSTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.4%35.7%79.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.6%30.5%69.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.880.472.71 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.75-0.015.27 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.6%-48.2%-91.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-9.6%-15.4% -0.9%
52-week high $181.54$55.66$205.00 $779.14
52-week low $110.24$32.63$25.45 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAQGENTWST
P/E now vs peer median 35.6xmedian 28.8x 26.7xmedian 28.8x -79.1xmedian 28.8x
P/S now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 3.0x 5.2xmedian 3.0x 25.2xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 27.9xmedian 17.4x 18.1xmedian 17.4x -89.6xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 40.4xmedian 25.7x 11.0xmedian 25.7x -110.8xmedian 25.7x
P/B now vs peer median 7.0xmedian 2.4x 3.3xmedian 2.4x 24.4xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 3.62median 1.03 3.61median 1.03 -5.01median 1.03

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAQGENTWST
Revenue $7.37B $2.10B $431.80M
Gross profit $3.97B $1.31B $224.39M
Operating income $1.64B $445.43M -$144.98M
Net income $1.44B $409.32M -$136.80M
Free cash flow $1.27B $991.33M -$98.12M
R&D $485.00M $194.67M $71.86M
EPS (diluted) $5.09 $1.87 $-2.19
Cash & equivalents $1.76B $768.50M $117.44M
Total debt $3.95B $6.86B $15.00M
Shares (diluted) 283.00M 218.88M 62.40M
Enterprise value $44.08B $6.69B $10.10B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAQGENTWST
P/E 35.6x 26.7x -79.1x
P/FCF 40.4x 11.0x -110.8x
P/Operating cash flow 31.8x 16.7x -204.8x
P/S 6.9x 5.2x 25.2x
P/B 7.0x 3.3x 24.4x
P/Tangible book 7.9x 3.6x 25.1x
EV/EBITDA 27.9x 18.1x -89.6x
EV/EBIT 32.6x 26.4x -73.9x
EV/Revenue 7.2x 5.6x 24.8x
EV/FCF 42.1x 11.9x -109.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 33.2x 18.0x -202.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.62 3.61 -5.01

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAQGENTWST
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.6% 3.0% 19.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.8% 2.0% 22.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.2% 1.7% 25.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.7% 1.3% 35.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.5% -4.9% -1.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 3.3% 13.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 18.0% 143.9% -60.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 8.3% 6.7% 13.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 18.9% 12.5% -57.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 9.8% 7.4% 15.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.6% -3.0% -3.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -1.9% 8.0% 24.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.5% 2.3% -42.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.7% 10.5% 15.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAQGENTWST
Gross margin 53.8% 62.2% 52.0%
EBITDA margin 25.9% 31.0% -27.7%
Operating margin 22.2% 21.2% -33.6%
Pretax margin 22.5% 22.0% -31.5%
Net margin 19.5% 19.5% -31.7%
FCF margin 17.2% 47.2% -22.7%
Operating cash flow margin 21.8% 31.2% -12.3%
Return on equity 19.9% 12.2% -30.4%
Return on assets 10.7% 7.0% -20.3%
Return on invested capital 13.1% 7.9% -31.1%
Return on capital employed 14.6% 8.5% -26.2%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.4x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 1.6x 0.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.8% 2.1% 15.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAQGENTWST
Debt / assets 28.3% 27.9% 2.2%
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.5x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 1.3x 1.3x
Debt / FCF 3.1x 1.7x -0.2x
Liabilities / assets 47.3% 43.0% 33.7%
Equity / assets 52.7% 57.0% 66.3%
Interest coverage 15.5x 11.3x –
Current ratio 2.1x 2.8x 2.7x
Quick ratio 1.4x 2.0x 1.9x
Cash ratio 0.8x 1.4x 1.4x
Altman Z-score 5.96 4.08 26.09

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAQGENTWST
Dividend yield 0.6% 5.2% –
Net buyback yield 0.6% 0.6% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 5.8% -0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 19.9% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 22.6% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 2.1% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 3.1% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAQGENTWST
Forward P/E 27.8xFY2026 21.4xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $6.54FY2026 $2.35FY2026 $-2.02FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.0%FY2026 -1.3%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +0.3% +17.4% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.87BFY2026 $2.25BFY2026 $469.33MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.3%FY2026 +7.8%FY2026 +24.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -5.6% -2.8% +21.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAQGENTWST
Held by institutions 92.6% 0.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 1,124 1 335
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.2% – -0.8%
Institutions buying 601 0 188
Institutions selling 350 0 102
Buyers to sellers 1.72 – 1.84

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AQGENTWST
A 1.00 0.37 0.51
QGEN 0.37 1.00 0.30
TWST 0.51 0.30 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, A, QGEN and TWST?

Agilent Technologies (A) is the largest by market capitalisation: Agilent Technologies (A) $51.19B, Qiagen (QGEN) $10.92B, Twist Bioscience (TWST) $10.87B.

Which stock is cheaper, A, QGEN and TWST?

Qiagen (QGEN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Agilent Technologies (A) 35.6x, Qiagen (QGEN) 26.7x, Twist Bioscience (TWST) -79.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Qiagen (QGEN) is cheapest (Agilent Technologies (A) 27.8x, Qiagen (QGEN) 21.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Twist Bioscience (TWST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Agilent Technologies (A) +8.6%, Qiagen (QGEN) +3.0%, Twist Bioscience (TWST) +19.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Agilent Technologies (A) has the highest net margin (Agilent Technologies (A) 19.5%, Qiagen (QGEN) 19.5%, Twist Bioscience (TWST) -31.7%). On return on invested capital, Agilent Technologies (A) leads (Agilent Technologies (A) 13.1%, Qiagen (QGEN) 7.9%, Twist Bioscience (TWST) -31.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Twist Bioscience (TWST) returned the most: Agilent Technologies (A) +24.5%, Qiagen (QGEN) -0.3%, Twist Bioscience (TWST) +416.7%. Over five years, Twist Bioscience (TWST) compounded fastest (Agilent Technologies (A) +2.9%/yr, Qiagen (QGEN) -4.2%/yr, Twist Bioscience (TWST) +7.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Qiagen (QGEN) has the highest dividend yield: Agilent Technologies (A) 0.57%, Qiagen (QGEN) 5.25%. Twist Bioscience (TWST) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Agilent Technologies (A) has been the steadiest (Agilent Technologies (A) 32.4%, Qiagen (QGEN) 35.7%, Twist Bioscience (TWST) 79.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, A, QGEN and TWST?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Agilent Technologies (A) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.