Agilent Share Price - A good share?

Figure 1 : Compare Agilent Stock  Price vs Berkshire Hathaway and Danahar


12 Years share Price Performance(12-YTD)
1) Danaher (Test & Measurement, Bioscience Analysis, Investment) - 359.07%
2) Berkshire Hathaway (Investment Holdings) - 129.80%

3) Agilent Technologies (Test & Meausrement, Bioscience Analysis) - -13.68%

Danahar - Company Profile

Chairman/CEO - Steve M Rales (Founder)

Danaher Corporation (Danaher) designs, manufactures and markets professional, medical, industrial and commercial products and services. The Company’s research and development, manufacturing, sales, distribution, service and administrative facilities are located in more than 50 countries. It operates in five segments: Test & Measurement; Environmental; Life Sciences & Diagnostics; Dental; and Industrial Technologies. In April 2011, the Company sold its Pacific Scientific Aerospace (PSA) business. On June 30, 2011, the Company acquired Beckman Coulter, Inc. (Beckman Coulter). In January 2012, the Company sold its Accu-Sort businesses. In February 2012, the Company sold its Kollmorgen Electro-Optical (KEO) business. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired EskoArtwork, On February 6, 2012, L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. acquired Kollmorgen Electro-Optical unit of the Company.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc - Company Profile 

Chairman/CEO - Warren Buffet (Founder)

erkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire) is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities. The Company is engaged in insurance businesses conducted on both a primary basis and a reinsurance basis. Berkshire also owns and operates a number of other businesses engaged in a variety of activities. On December 30, 2011, Medical Protective Corporation (MedPro) completed the acquisition of 100% of the Princeton Insurance Company, a professional liability insurer for healthcare providers based in Princeton, New Jersey. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Acme Building Brands (Acme) acquired the assets of Jenkins Brick Company, the brick manufacturer in Alabama. In September 2011, Berkshire acquired The Lubrizol Corporation (Lubrizol). In June 2011, the Company acquired Wesco Financial Corporation.

Agilent Technologies - Company Profile 

CEO - Bill Sullivan

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (Agilent) is a measurement company providing bio-analytical and electronic measurement solutions to the communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis industries. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), it had three business segments: electronic measurement business, chemical analysis business and life sciences business. Its electronic measurement business addresses the communications, electronics and other industries. Agilent’s chemical analysis business focuses on the petrochemical, environmental, forensics and food safety industries. Its life sciences business focuses on the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic and Government, bio-agriculture and food safety industries. In addition to its three businesses, it conducts research through Agilent Technologies Laboratories (Agilent Labs). In February 2012, it acquired software solutions and technology for device-level modeling and validation from Accelicon Technologies.

Who is Steve M. Rales?
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_M._Rales)

What happen to Agilent's Equity Investment under Bill Sullivan?
He sounds like very successful in managing Agilent Inc but under his leadership, Agilent has zero/negative growth on share price. Why? Because his M&A(Merger & Acquisition) strategy is too bad compare to Steve M. Rales/Warren Buffet.


Conclusion:
In capital market, all technology companies should be managed by "intelligent" investor!




(Disclosure : Author has no position in Agilent, Danaher and Berkshire.)