KBC Group NV Increases Stock Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 18.4% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 81,883 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,719 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $10,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of A. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,663 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $626,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 15.9% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,610 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $602,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 54.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 599 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,352 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $625,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $273,000.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE A opened at $148.55 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $135.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $125.56. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $108.35 and a one year high of $160.27. The firm has a market cap of $41.95 billion, a PE ratio of 29.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 2.10.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.33% and a net margin of 19.55%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. 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. Analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 20.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $153.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Bank of America raised Agilent Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the company from $150.00 to $145.00 in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, HSBC cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.24.

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.