Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Buys 18,038 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 338,019 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 18,038 shares during the period. Agilent Technologies comprises 1.2% of Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. owned approximately 0.12% of Agilent Technologies worth $45,409,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CKW Financial Group lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 114.9% during the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 161.1% during the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its holdings in shares of 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. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000.

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Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at $5,947,800. The trade was a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,786 shares in the company, valued at $2,657,456.28. This represents a 8.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on A. Citigroup lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $135.00 to $145.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $146.15.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock traded up $1.21 on Monday, hitting $121.96. 1,557,412 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,684,041. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm's 50-day moving average is $136.34 and its 200 day moving average is $137.16. The stock has a market cap of $34.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.04, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.11. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $117.17 and a 52-week high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 25.56%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

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.