A vs SPY Stock Comparison

SPY currently leads A in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 66 vs 56. The clearest difference is risk resilience.

Market data as of Oct 21, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 10 points
A
Healthcare
vs
SPY
Equity
A
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
Price
$178
Day move
+2.74%
AIQ Score
56/100
Best edge
Balanced
Sector
Healthcare
SPY
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF
Leads
Price
$773
Day move
+0.53%
AIQ Score
66/100
Best edge
Risk Resilience
Sector
Equity

What is the main difference between A and SPY?

SPY leads the current stock comparison as State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF, with the clearest separation coming from risk resilience and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Agilent Technologies, Inc. vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF

Data as of Oct 21, 2026· market close· A (stock) vs SPY (ETF)· Coverage 65/66 fields· 42/42 directly comparable· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictCompetitiveAIQ Comparison Conviction 6/10

SPY leads

SPY leads by 10 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience and Quality, and the lead has widened from 5 points over 30 sessions.

Competitive: 3 of 4 evidence groups support SPY, its lead is widening, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 3 of 4Comparison trend: Strengthening
A

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

AIQ Score
56/100
AIQ Edge Score
6/10
SPY

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF

Leads
AIQ Score
66/100
AIQ Edge Score
9/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors SPY over A, 66 versus 56 as of Oct 21, 2026. SPY's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience and quality. SPY also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor SPY today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader is throwing conflicting signals. SPY lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 5 to 10 points over 30 sessions.

Compare Agilent Technologies, Inc. and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.

A
+13.2%
SPY
+80.5%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested

A $11,322 · SPY $18,052

Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.

Compare A and SPY against another ticker

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

A advantage
0
SPY advantage
  • Risk Resilience64 vs 88
    SPY +24
  • Quality67 vs 84
    SPY +17
  • Value37 vs 41
    SPY +4
  • Momentum61 vs 63
    Even

3 of 4 evidence groups favor SPY. SPY’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience and quality.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.

A+2 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +9

No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.

SPY+4 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +16

New signals

  • Uptrend Structure Active — bullish, trend, long horizon

SPY's lead widened by 2 AIQ points in the latest session.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — A and SPY both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

SPY (State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by risk resilience and quality.

A (Agilent Technologies, Inc.): the counter-case, on technicals — but at materially higher volatility, 27.4% against 9%.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

SPY

SPY on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

Even

Growth figures are not covered for both names.

Value

SPY

SPY on the peer-relative Value factor, by 4 points.

Momentum

Even

The two are level on Momentum.

Lower downside

SPY

SPY on Risk Resilience, by 24 points.

Analyst upside

Even

Analyst targets are level or not covered for both names.

AIQ vs Wall Street

Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.

MeasureASPYNote
Implied upside to target-5%—Level
Target dispersion+27.8%—Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuy—Context, not a primary driver
Analysts covering13—Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor SPY. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreSPY56 vs 66
FundamentalsNot coveredNot covered
ValuationSPYValue 37 vs 41
TechnicalsAPrice vs 50-day 11.2% vs 0.6%; vs 200-day 28.3% vs 5.9%
Risk ResilienceSPYRisk Resilience 64 vs 88
Analyst expectationsNot coveredNot covered

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of A and SPY and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Competitive

The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

  • The AIQ gap is moderate at 10 points.
  • The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on SPY.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20

SPY lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 5 to 10 points over 30 sessions.

Jun 21A leads above the line · SPY leads belowOct 20
Today
SPY +10
56 vs 66
7 sessions ago
SPY +9
57 vs 66
30 sessions ago
SPY +5
61 vs 66
90 sessions ago
SPY +9
61 vs 70

The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on Jul 31 when SPY moved ahead of A.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

AConflicted

4 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted

No signal that the other name lacks.

SPYConflicted

4 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

Only SPY

  • ATR Contraction - Coiling — neutral, volatility, short horizon (0.92%)

Both carry 5 more signals that do not separate them: Golden Cross Active, EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish, 52-Week High Proximity, Uptrend Structure Active, MACD Bearish Crossover.

SPY leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

AConfirmed strength

Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +2.74%, AIQ +2 points).

SPYConfirmed strength

Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +0.53%, AIQ +4 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1A closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to SPY's edge.
  2. 2A generates a confirmed bullish trend signal it does not currently carry, such as MACD Bullish Crossover.
  3. 3SPY's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 4 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

Split
MetricASPY
Revenue growth (YoY)2.3%—
EPS growth (YoY)6.7%—
Gross margin53.7%—
Operating margin22.2%—
Return on equity (TTM)20.5%—
Debt to equity0.54—

Performance

A leads 6 of 6 windows
MetricASPY
1 week (5 sessions)0.8%-1.2%
1 month (20 sessions)3.4%-0.6%
3 months (63 sessions)29.6%2.9%
6 months (126 sessions)41.7%9.2%
Year to date27.1%12.8%
1 year (252 sessions)22.6%16.4%

Technicals

A has the stronger structure
MetricASPY
RSI (14)51.256.2
ADX (14)37.112.5
Price vs 50-day11.2%0.6%
Price vs 200-day28.3%5.9%
Volatility (1M, annualized)27.4%9%

Risk

SPY is the more resilient
MetricASPY
Beta0.821
Sharpe ratio0.650.91
Sortino ratio1.241.39
Max drawdown-29.9%-9.1%
Current drawdown-1.4%-1.3%
Annualized volatility32.4%12.8%
Value at risk (95%)-2.9%-1.4%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, A or SPY?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, SPY is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 66 against A's 56. The edge comes from risk resilience and quality. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is A or SPY the better buy right now?

SPY carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 3 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

Why does the AIQ Score favor SPY over A?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. SPY leads Risk Resilience by 24 points; SPY leads Quality by 17 points; SPY leads Value by 4 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, A or SPY?

Analyst price targets imply -5% upside for A and not covered for SPY. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, A or SPY?

SPY is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. SPY on the peer-relative Value factor, by 4 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, A or SPY?

Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, A or SPY?

The two are level on Momentum. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, A or SPY?

SPY is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. SPY on Risk Resilience, by 24 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is A more profitable than SPY?

Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.

Is SPY's lead over A getting stronger or weaker?

SPY lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 5 to 10 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has changed hands 2 times in that window, most recently on 2026-07-31, when SPY moved ahead of A.

What would change the A vs SPY verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: A closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to SPY's edge; a generates a confirmed bullish trend signal it does not currently carry, such as MACD Bullish Crossover; SPY's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 4 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

What do the current signals say about A and SPY?

A: 4 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted. SPY: 4 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on A is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On SPY it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.