Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Bought by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 158,736 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,219 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned approximately 0.06% of Agilent Technologies worth $21,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $456,963,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $94,051,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 280.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 806,895 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $108,398,000 after purchasing an additional 594,744 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,172,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,235,263 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $434,625,000 after purchasing an additional 258,358 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 2.2 %

A stock traded up $2.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $105.05. The stock had a trading volume of 2,236,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,867,926. The firm has a market cap of $29.95 billion, a PE ratio of 24.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 1.66. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.43 and a 12-month high of $155.35. The company's 50-day moving average price is $117.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.61.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.56% and a net margin of 19.27%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Barclays dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $143.00.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $211,840.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total value of $232,737.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,657,456.28. This represents a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

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.