Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,270,000 shares, a decrease of 5.5% from the October 31st total of 3,460,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,660,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 0.2 %

A stock traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $139.28. 1,714,839 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,728,150. The company has a market cap of $40.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.09. Agilent Technologies has a 1-year low of $124.16 and a 1-year high of $155.35. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $137.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.15.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at $5,801,595. This represents a 19.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 114.8% during the second 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 stake in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $157.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $143.40.

Agilent Technologies Company 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.