Agilent Technologies (A) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) will likely be announcing its earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, February 26th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.27 per share and revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter. Parties that are interested in participating in the company's conference call can do so using this link.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 25.43%. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Agilent Technologies to post $6 EPS for the current fiscal year and $6 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 1.1 %

Agilent Technologies stock traded down $1.46 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $135.33. 1,112,236 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,639,324. Agilent Technologies has a 1 year low of $124.16 and a 1 year high of $155.35. The firm has a market cap of $38.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $141.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.28.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $144.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $286,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at $5,947,800. The trade was a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.