Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Keysight Technologies Inc. $KEYS

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE:KEYS) by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,885 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,771 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Keysight Technologies were worth $1,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Keysight Technologies by 128.5% during the 4th quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. now owns 2,970 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $603,000 after buying an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY bought a new stake in Keysight Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $204,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Keysight Technologies by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 45,316 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $9,208,000 after buying an additional 1,603 shares in the last quarter. Pensionfund Sabic purchased a new stake in Keysight Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,524,000. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Keysight Technologies by 89.1% during the fourth quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,509 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after acquiring an additional 2,596 shares during the last quarter. 84.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Keysight Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting Keysight Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong product and market momentum: Keysight announced new test solutions for automotive Ethernet and expanded 1.6T test solutions for AI/HPC interconnects, supporting secular demand in automotive, AI and data‑center test equipment markets. Keysight Unveils Next-Generation In-Vehicle Network Test Solutions at Automotive Ethernet Congress 2026 Keysight Expands 1.6T Test Solutions for AI and HPC Network Interconnects
• Positive Sentiment: Manufacturing footprint expansion: Keysight is starting test‑equipment manufacturing in Chennai, India to serve global markets — a move that can lower costs, improve supply resilience and support sales in semiconductors and defense. EDA Supplier Keysight to Manufacture Testing Equipment in India Keysight Sets Up Chennai Unit To Manufacture For Global Markets
• Positive Sentiment: Academic / talent pipeline: Keysight launched hands‑on semiconductor teaching labs for universities, which can help build long‑term customer relationships and training demand for lab/test equipment. Keysight launches new hands‑on semiconductor teaching labs for universities
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and recent fundamentals: Citigroup raised its price target to $320, and Keysight’s most recent quarter beat EPS and revenue while setting FY‑2026 guidance — fundamentals that support a higher valuation. Citigroup Increases Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) Price Target to $320.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary: Recent analyst pieces note the stock has softened modestly since the earnings report and discuss rebound prospects — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Keysight (KEYS) Down 1% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Rebound?
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading context: Volume is below its average and the stock sits near its recent 12‑month high, which can reduce conviction behind intraday moves (less liquidity to amplify direction). (Market data from trading summary.)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Multiple senior executives (CEO, CFO and an SVP) disclosed sales of stock last week. While they remain large holders, clustered insider sales can trigger short‑term investor concern and add to near‑term selling pressure. CEO Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Profit‑taking risk: With shares having run up toward the year high and a high P/E, some investors appear to be trimming positions, which is consistent with the observed decline.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KEYS has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Keysight Technologies from $232.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Keysight Technologies from $225.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Keysight Technologies from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Keysight Technologies from $282.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Keysight Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.82.

Keysight Technologies Stock Performance

Keysight Technologies stock opened at $281.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $48.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.12. Keysight Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $121.43 and a 1-year high of $317.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $255.98 and a 200-day moving average of $210.60.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Keysight Technologies had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 16.84%.Keysight Technologies’s revenue was up 23.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. Keysight Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.590- EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.270-2.330 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Keysight Technologies Inc. will post 6.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Ingrid A. Estrada sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.68, for a total value of $475,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 107,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,636,402.48. This trade represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Satish Dhanasekaran sold 1,667 shares of Keysight Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $500,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,719,400. This trade represents a 1.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 41,223 shares of company stock valued at $11,716,951. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Keysight Technologies Profile

Keysight Technologies is a global provider of electronic design, test, measurement and optimization solutions for communications, electronics and related industries. The company was formed as a corporate spin-off from Agilent Technologies in 2014; its origins trace back to the electronic measurement business that was part of Hewlett‑Packard before Agilent. Keysight develops hardware and software used throughout the product development lifecycle, from design and simulation to prototype validation and manufacturing test.

Keysight’s product portfolio includes electronic test and measurement instruments such as oscilloscopes, network and spectrum analyzers, signal generators, vector network analyzers and modular PXI-based systems, together with software platforms for simulation, automated test and data analysis.