Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Buys 9,703 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 663,767 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,703 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.23% of Agilent Technologies worth $98,556,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth $499,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $3,114,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth about $280,000. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,269,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 95.9% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 523 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 2.5 %

A stock traded down $3.34 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $130.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,035,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,698,413. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $139.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $111.33 and a 52 week high of $155.35. The stock has a market cap of $37.62 billion, a PE ratio of 27.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.88 and a beta of 1.07.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The medical research company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.06. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.26% and a net margin of 21.75%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.236 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is presently 19.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $157.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,801,595. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $283,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,497,110. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 11,995 shares of company stock worth $1,739,510.

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.