Avidity Partners Management LP Takes Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Avidity Partners Management LP acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 41,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,647,000. Agilent Technologies comprises 1.6% of Avidity Partners Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 0.2%

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $129.76 on Friday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.35 and a twelve month high of $160.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $120.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.26.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.33% and a net margin of 19.55%.The company had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Wolfe Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.93.

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.