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

Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $146.15.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on A shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at $5,947,800. The trade was a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total transaction of $232,737.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 21,786 shares in the company, valued at $2,657,456.28. The trade was a 8.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Prospera Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $375,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,392,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $205,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at $324,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 15.3% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 49,696 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,379,000 after acquiring an additional 6,588 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.42% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A opened at $121.96 on Tuesday. Agilent Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $117.17 and a fifty-two week high of $155.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $136.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.20.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 25.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.