abrdn plc Acquires 14,083 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

abrdn plc boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 651,871 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 14,083 shares during the period. abrdn plc owned approximately 0.22% of Agilent Technologies worth $95,981,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,107 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,653,000 after buying an additional 695 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 29.9% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,581 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $958,000 after purchasing an additional 1,516 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 0.8% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 711,895 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $103,588,000 after purchasing an additional 5,716 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth $342,000. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.0% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 6,438 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $937,000 after buying an additional 888 shares during the period. 87.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on A. Bank of America lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Barclays increased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $157.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $151.00 price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Monday, August 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $144.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,801,595. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at $5,801,595. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $283,910.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,497,110. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,995 shares of company stock worth $1,739,510 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock traded up $0.28 on Wednesday, reaching $131.51. 1,550,507 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,681,198. The company has a market capitalization of $37.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.28, a PEG ratio of 6.96 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $100.26 and a one year high of $155.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $140.01 and a 200 day moving average of $138.12.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.236 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.50%.

About Agilent Technologies

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.