Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC Sells 20,055 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 54.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,780 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 20,055 shares during the quarter. Agilent Technologies accounts for 0.7% of Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $2,254,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on A. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com raised Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.62.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A traded up $1.01 on Tuesday, hitting $137.44. The stock had a trading volume of 1,056,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,076,023. The company's 50-day moving average is $135.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market cap of $39.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.06. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $124.16 and a one year high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.38 EPS. Agilent Technologies's revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.40%.

Agilent Technologies 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.