Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Purchased by PGGM Investments

PGGM Investments grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 40.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,574 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,143 shares during the quarter. PGGM Investments’ holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $5,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of A. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 527.8% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.42% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE:A traded up $3.14 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $139.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 353,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,751,256. The company has a market cap of $40.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 1.05. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $96.80 and a one year high of $155.35. The business’s 50-day moving average is $133.04 and its 200-day moving average is $138.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 29th. The medical research company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.03. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.84% and a return on equity of 26.25%. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 2nd were issued a $0.236 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 2nd. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on A. Bank of America lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (down from $152.00) on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Citigroup raised Agilent Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $153.00 price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $163.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $254,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 25,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,274,050. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $254,540.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 25,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,274,050. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Dominique Grau sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.28, for a total transaction of $1,999,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 49,486 shares in the company, valued at $6,595,494.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,916 shares of company stock valued at $2,527,860. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

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.