Ninety One UK Ltd Lowers Stock Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Ninety One UK Ltd trimmed its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 156,406 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 13,493 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd owned 0.05% of Agilent Technologies worth $21,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McAdam LLC lifted its position in Agilent Technologies by 3.1% during the third quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 2,531 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 646 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 3.2% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,570 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 5,049 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Financial Group LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 1.0% during the third quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on A. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.62.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:A traded down $2.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $145.21. 1,557,765 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,732,627. The company's 50 day moving average price is $141.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.34. The firm has a market cap of $41.43 billion, a PE ratio of 32.85, a PEG ratio of 4.00 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. 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 (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 25.43%. Agilent Technologies's quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is presently 22.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at $5,947,800. This trade represents a 4.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

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.