Hilltop Holdings Inc. Buys Shares of 38,486 Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Hilltop Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 38,486 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $5,714,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in A. Menard Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 4,845 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $628,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. McAdam LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 3.1% in the third quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 2,531 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 13.5% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 646 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 3.2% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,570 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rovin Capital UT ADV increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 5,049 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $750,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.2 %

A traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $139.28. 1,698,096 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,725,202. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.16 and a 1-year high of $155.35. The firm's fifty day moving average is $137.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $40.02 billion, a PE ratio of 31.58, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.07.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.27%.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,801,595. This trade represents a 19.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Barclays cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $157.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.40.

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.