Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday.

A has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.15.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $116.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.60. Agilent Technologies has a 1-year low of $96.43 and a 1-year high of $153.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50-day moving average is $109.34 and its 200 day moving average is $125.38.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In other news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total value of $232,737.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,657,456.28. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $211,840.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of A. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $456,963,000. Generation Investment Management LLP grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 19.8% in the first quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 4,983,556 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $582,976,000 after purchasing an additional 824,243 shares in the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,051,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $73,375,000 after purchasing an additional 623,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 18.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 3,836,105 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $448,748,000 after purchasing an additional 604,124 shares in the last quarter.

About Agilent Technologies

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.