Pitcairn Co. Lowers Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Pitcairn Co. reduced its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,135 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,239 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 953.3% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 32,694 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,757,000 after purchasing an additional 29,590 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 26.2% in the first quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,770 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,168,000 after buying an additional 4,523 shares in the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,355,000. Marshall Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,058,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,976,905 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $442,011,000 after acquiring an additional 183,716 shares during the period. 87.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $157.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $151.00 price target on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, August 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was 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 directly owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,801,595. This trade represents a 19.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $133.84 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $38.46 billion, a PE ratio of 27.77, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 1.07. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.48 and a 12 month high of $155.35. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $137.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.37.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.54%.

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.