Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $146.15.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on A. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective 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. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,947,800. This represents a 4.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Institutional Trading of Agilent Technologies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $456,963,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $94,051,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 345.9% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 769,897 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $103,428,000 after buying an additional 597,249 shares in the last quarter. Iron Triangle Partners LP purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $80,110,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 280.3% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 806,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $108,398,000 after acquiring an additional 594,744 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 2.5 %

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $123.12 on Friday. Agilent Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $121.45 and a fifty-two week high of $155.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $140.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.20.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 25.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Analysts predict that Agilent Technologies will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.76%.

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.