Norges Bank purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,401,544 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $456,963,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.19% of Agilent Technologies at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sienna Gestion increased its position in Agilent Technologies by 29.8% in the 4th quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 78,445 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $10,537,000 after purchasing an additional 17,991 shares during the last quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth approximately $14,848,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 33,898 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,554,000 after buying an additional 2,664 shares during the last quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC now owns 42,587 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $5,721,000 after acquiring an additional 4,805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 49,288 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $6,621,000 after acquiring an additional 6,802 shares during the last quarter.
Insider Activity
In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value 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 approximately $5,947,800. This represents a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total value of $232,737.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,657,456.28. This trade represents a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised 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. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 raised Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.83.
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Agilent Technologies Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:A traded up $1.27 on Wednesday, hitting $115.32. 687,996 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,770,197. The company's 50 day moving average price is $132.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.51, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.20. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $112.87 and a one year high of $155.35.
Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.56% and a net margin of 19.27%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current year.
Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.76%.
Agilent Technologies Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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