Aviva PLC Sells 187,616 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Aviva PLC reduced its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 52.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 173,179 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 187,616 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned about 0.06% of Agilent Technologies worth $23,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. CKW Financial Group raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 114.9% during the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 161.1% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 263 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing 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 approximately $37,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on A shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price 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. Finally, Barclays reduced 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $146.25.

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Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A traded up $1.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $101.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 818,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,843,645. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.43 and a 52 week high of $155.35. The firm has a market cap of $28.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $124.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 22.76%.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $5,947,800. This represents a 4.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,657,456.28. This trade represents a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,638 shares of company stock worth $731,229 over the last three months.

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.