Entropy Technologies LP Purchases 5,344 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Entropy Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 25.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 26,319 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 5,344 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $3,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. CKW Financial Group increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 114.9% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of A stock traded down $3.68 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $138.07. The company had a trading volume of 2,103,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,685,718. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.58. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.16 and a 1-year high of $155.35. The firm has a market cap of $39.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $141.72 and a 200 day moving average of $139.46.

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

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is 22.40%.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays upgraded Agilent Technologies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $144.38.

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.