Man Group plc Invests $179.26 Million in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Man Group plc bought a new position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 1,349,523 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $179,257,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $549,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 87.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,233,964 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $695,227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,440,360 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $260,101,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,652,244 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 132.2% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,354,111 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $277,807,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340,161 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $153.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.24.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.9%

A stock opened at $154.81 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.62. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.35 and a 1-year high of $160.51. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $138.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $126.47. The company has a market capitalization of $43.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.09, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.25.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.08. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Agilent Technologies

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.