Noesis Capital Mangement Corp Acquires 7,714 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Noesis Capital Mangement Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 115,307 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 7,714 shares during the quarter. Agilent Technologies comprises approximately 3.4% of Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $17,121,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.4% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 184,483 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,392,000 after purchasing an additional 4,287 shares during the period. BBR Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $216,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $410,000. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 54.1% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 114,638 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $17,021,000 after purchasing an additional 40,231 shares during the period. 87.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A opened at $138.11 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.91 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $137.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.43. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $124.10 and a 1 year high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,801,595. This represents a 19.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.