Fisher Asset Management LLC Acquires Shares of 4,948 Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Fisher Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,948 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $665,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in A. CKW Financial Group raised its stake in 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 holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 161.1% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 263 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:A traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $126.59. The company had a trading volume of 2,056,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,836,046. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 1.66. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $121.45 and a one year high of $155.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $139.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.69. The company has a market capitalization of $36.09 billion, a PE ratio of 29.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.11.

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Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.56% and a net margin of 19.27%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 22.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,947,800. This trade represents a 4.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. Bank of America decreased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $146.15.

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.