Qtron Investments LLC Cuts Stock Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Qtron Investments LLC cut its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 38.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,980 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,170 shares during the period. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $669,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in A. CKW Financial Group grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 114.9% in 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 last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 161.1% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its position in Agilent Technologies by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 263 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:A traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $102.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,769,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,857,257. The company has a market cap of $29.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.54, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $120.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.80. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.43 and a 12-month 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 25.56%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $144.58.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $211,840.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at $4,161,931.02. The trade was a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,947,800. This trade represents a 4.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,638 shares of company stock worth $731,229 in the last three months.

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.