Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Stake Lessened by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp lessened its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 385,132 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 17,122 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.13% of Agilent Technologies worth $51,739,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,976,905 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $442,011,000 after purchasing an additional 183,716 shares during the last quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth approximately $14,848,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 29.8% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,978 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,592,000 after purchasing an additional 7,111 shares during the period. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC now owns 42,587 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $5,721,000 after acquiring an additional 4,805 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 59,456 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $8,828,000 after purchasing an additional 3,612 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock traded down $0.33 during trading on Thursday, hitting $147.66. 1,142,978 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,693,337. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $124.16 and a 52 week high of $155.35. 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 firm's fifty day moving average is $141.25 and its 200-day moving average is $139.13. The stock has a market cap of $42.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41, a PEG ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on A. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website.

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.