New York State Common Retirement Fund Cuts Stock Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 371,220 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 8,504 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.13% of Agilent Technologies worth $49,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in A. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,726,000. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 44,910 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $6,668,000 after buying an additional 2,498 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 31,234 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,638,000 after buying an additional 2,720 shares during the period. Weaver Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $490,000. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $271,000. 87.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,947,800. This trade represents a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE A traded down $1.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $135.68. 528,662 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,623,334. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.28. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $38.71 billion, a PE ratio of 30.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.07. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.16 and a 52-week high of $155.35.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 25.43%. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.38 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on A. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently 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.