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

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $161.7692.

A has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Barclays upgraded Agilent Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $165.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE A opened at $138.32 on Thursday. Agilent Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $160.27. The company has a market cap of $39.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.27, a P/E/G ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.96. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.55.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 25.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.380 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.860-6.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Agilent Technologies will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 21.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In related news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.99, for a total transaction of $464,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 31,846 shares in the company, valued at $4,935,811.54. The trade was a 8.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 911 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $130,491.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 32,058 shares in the company, valued at $4,591,987.92. This represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 16,401 shares of company stock worth $2,468,962 over the last ninety days.

Institutional Trading of Agilent Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of A. Capital A Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 10,600.0% during the second quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Davis Capital Management purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 490.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 236 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

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.