Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Purchased by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,235,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 258,358 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 1.13% of Agilent Technologies worth $434,625,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in A. Community Financial Services Group LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 1,531 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Violich Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 135.6% during the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 4,227 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 2,433 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,535 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $475,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at $5,947,800. This represents a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays upgraded Agilent Technologies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $145.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.38.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $138.07 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $124.16 and a 52 week high of $155.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $141.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 1.07.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 25.43%. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued 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 dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 22.40%.

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.