Franklin Resources Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,115,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 24,340 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.39% of Agilent Technologies worth $151,819,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of A. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $549,158,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,147,601 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,925,064,000 after purchasing an additional 1,713,216 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 424.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,041,826 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $240,956,000 after purchasing an additional 1,652,244 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 132.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,354,111 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $277,807,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,857,820 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $388,864,000 after purchasing an additional 845,688 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wolfe Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. HSBC cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.71.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A opened at $131.88 on Thursday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.35 and a 52-week high of $160.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 2.10. The company has a market capitalization of $37.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a fifty day moving average of $119.63 and a 200-day moving average of $128.00.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The company had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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.