Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A Stake Raised by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 1.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 288,447 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 4,327 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.10% of Agilent Technologies worth $37,022,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,997,845 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,012,086,000 after purchasing an additional 589,219 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 13,227,387 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,560,964,000 after buying an additional 1,273,994 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,319,530 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $860,137,000 after buying an additional 115,183 shares during the period. Generation Investment Management LLP raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15.9% during the 2nd quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 5,775,860 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $681,609,000 after buying an additional 792,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $395,088,000. Institutional investors own 87.41% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE A opened at $133.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.43 and a 12 month high of $160.27. The company has a market cap of $37.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.39.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.01. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.20% and a net margin of 18.75%.The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th were given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 6th. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays raised Agilent Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $165.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.50.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 12,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $1,873,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 33,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,017,200. The trade was a 27.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.99, for a total value of $464,970.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 31,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,935,811.54. This trade represents a 8.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,401 shares of company stock worth $2,468,962. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies 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.