S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Buys 4,805 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,587 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 4,805 shares during the period. Agilent Technologies comprises 1.9% of S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $5,721,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in A. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 87.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE A opened at $143.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.09. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $124.16 and a 52 week high of $155.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $136.07 and a 200-day moving average of $136.96.

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

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders 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 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 22.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on A shares. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.62.

Agilent Technologies 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.