Ascent Group LLC Grows Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Ascent Group LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 9.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,061 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 186 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 120.7% in the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 192 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 527.8% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth $34,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 0.0 %

Agilent Technologies stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $137.36. 1,222,648 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,772,071. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.15. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.80 and a 12 month high of $155.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $134.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.68. The company has a market cap of $40.08 billion, a PE ratio of 32.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 1.05.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 29th. The medical research company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.84% and a return on equity of 26.25%. Agilent Technologies’s revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 2nd were issued a $0.236 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $254,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 25,185 shares in the company, valued at $3,274,050. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.28, for a total transaction of $1,999,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 49,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,595,494.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $254,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 25,185 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,274,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $141.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $126.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Agilent Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.06.

Agilent Technologies Profile

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.