Sound Stewardship LLC Invests $420,000 in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Sound Stewardship LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,127 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $420,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. CKW Financial Group grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 114.9% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock traded down $0.61 on Tuesday, reaching $150.35. The stock had a trading volume of 1,768,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,778,325. The business's 50 day moving average is $138.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.37. The company has a market cap of $42.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 1.06. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $124.16 and a 1 year high of $155.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.43% and a net margin of 19.80%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,947,800. This represents a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $143.62.

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.