M&G PLC Buys 18,568 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

M&G PLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 911,689 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,568 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC owned about 0.32% of Agilent Technologies worth $116,696,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of A. Capital A Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 10,600.0% during the second quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 490.0% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 236 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2,836.4% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 323 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Agilent Technologies news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.99, for a total transaction of $464,970.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 31,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,935,811.54. The trade was a 8.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 911 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $130,491.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 32,058 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,591,987.92. The trade was a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on A. Barclays upgraded Agilent Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.50.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.7%

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $125.80 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $35.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $137.84 and a 200-day moving average of $135.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.52. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $96.43 and a one year high of $160.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.20% and a net margin of 18.75%.Agilent Technologies’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.380 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.860-6.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 22.32%.

Agilent Technologies 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.