Vestcor Inc Purchases 5,896 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Vestcor Inc raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 47.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,205 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,896 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $2,703,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geller Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth about $215,000. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $536,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 4.7% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 85,436 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $12,686,000 after purchasing an additional 3,843 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 82.3% during the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 9,986 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,483,000 after purchasing an additional 4,507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 3.2% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 43,205 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $6,415,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337 shares during the last quarter. 87.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:A traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $141.22. 1,848,673 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,724,702. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.09. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $137.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $136.54. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $124.16 and a 12 month high of $155.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.58 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on A. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.14.

Insider Activity

In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,801,595. The trade was a 19.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.