Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Stock Position Decreased by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 15.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 379,724 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 68,149 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.13% of Agilent Technologies worth $56,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of A. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 18.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,884,345 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,348,471,000 after buying an additional 4,605,228 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 13.9% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,542,054 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,242,956,000 after acquiring an additional 1,042,926 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 5.7% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,064,660 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,952,832,000 after purchasing an additional 809,149 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $61,218,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 48.6% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 957,128 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $124,073,000 after purchasing an additional 313,155 shares during the last quarter. 87.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America increased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Cowen boosted their target price 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. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $151.00 price target on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, August 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $144.36.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $283,910.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,497,110. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value 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. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,995 shares of company stock valued at $1,739,510 in the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of A traded up $6.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $136.87. The stock had a trading volume of 2,077,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,682,667. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $39.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.40, a P/E/G ratio of 6.31 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $139.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.05. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.70 and a 52 week high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The medical research company reported $1.32 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 analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies's revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.236 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.50%.

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.