First Trust Advisors LP Grows Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 12.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 786,052 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 90,095 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $89,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $153.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered Agilent Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Wolfe Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.35.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:A opened at $138.65 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $129.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.55. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.35 and a 12 month high of $160.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.25.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.480-1.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 20.48%.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company’s product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.