Allstate Corp Invests $1.14 Million in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Allstate Corp bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,519 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $1,144,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. CKW Financial Group boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 114.9% during the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 161.1% during the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 263 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE A traded up $1.91 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $115.96. 1,947,367 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,775,062. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.06 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.19. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.87 and a 12 month high of $155.35. The company's 50 day moving average price is $132.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.32.

Remove Ads

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 25.56%. As a group, analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is 22.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Barclays upgraded Agilent Technologies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $145.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $150.83.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In other news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total transaction of $232,737.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,657,456.28. This represents a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at $5,947,800. The trade was a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

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.