JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Price Target to $160.00

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) had its price target trimmed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently commented on A. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $151.00 target price on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $157.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.40.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE A opened at $137.98 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $137.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.37. Agilent Technologies has a 12-month low of $124.16 and a 12-month high of $155.35. The firm has a market cap of $39.65 billion, a PE ratio of 31.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 21.27%.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at $5,801,595. The trade was a 19.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth $28,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 114.8% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during 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 during the last quarter.

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.