Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.

Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. lowered its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 374,920 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 6,490 shares during the quarter. Agilent Technologies accounts for 1.8% of Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. owned about 0.13% of Agilent Technologies worth $55,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 18.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,884,345 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,348,471,000 after purchasing an additional 4,605,228 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,542,054 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,242,956,000 after buying an additional 1,042,926 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,064,660 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,952,832,000 after buying an additional 809,149 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $61,218,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 48.6% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 957,128 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $124,073,000 after buying an additional 313,155 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on A shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $151.00 price target on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $157.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $144.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $283,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,497,110. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $283,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,118 shares in the company, valued at $3,497,110. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,995 shares of company stock worth $1,739,510 in the last three months.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of A stock traded down $2.63 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $137.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,509,998 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,684,984. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.09 and a 12-month high of $155.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's 50-day moving average is $139.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.37.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The medical research company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.26% and a net margin of 21.75%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.236 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.50%.

Agilent Technologies 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.