Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Bought by Argent Capital Management LLC

Argent Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,809 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,882 shares during the quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $4,408,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during 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 during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $60,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:A traded up $2.54 during trading on Thursday, hitting $144.77. 1,661,419 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,535,400. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $136.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.75, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.06. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $124.16 and a 12-month high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 25.43%. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.248 per share. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.62.

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.