Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Purchased by Argent Capital Management LLC

Argent Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,809 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,882 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $4,408,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of A. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup upped their price target on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.62.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of A opened at $142.19 on Thursday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $124.16 and a 1 year high of $155.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.96. The stock has a market cap of $40.61 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.06.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.43% and a net margin of 19.80%. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. Agilent Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.40%.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.