Axa S.A. Raises Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

AXA S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 32.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 362,945 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 88,667 shares during the period. AXA S.A. owned 0.12% of Agilent Technologies worth $47,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 114.8% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 527.8% during the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE A traded up $7.30 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $146.74. 2,149,731 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,722,342. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $138.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.15, a PEG ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.78. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $96.80 and a one year high of $155.35.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $0.236 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $157.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $135.00 price target (down previously from $152.00) on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded Agilent Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and nine 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 $141.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $274,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 26,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,650,640. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

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.