Dudley & Shanley Inc. Takes Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Dudley & Shanley Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 55,900 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $8,300,000. Agilent Technologies makes up approximately 1.3% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 8.2% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,752 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,187,000 after buying an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $535,000. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $663,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 5.2% during the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,615 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $236,000. 87.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $1,448,550.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,801,595. The trade was a 19.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. 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 research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $151.00 target price on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, August 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $143.62.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE A traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $134.60. 1,194,923 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,734,785. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.07. The business's 50 day moving average is $135.85 and its 200-day moving average is $136.50. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 25.43%. Agilent Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.38 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.40%.

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.