Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The medical research company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04, MarketWatch Earnings reports. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 16.20% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.53 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $113.98 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.66. The company has a market cap of $33.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.68. Agilent Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $96.80 and a fifty-two week high of $160.26.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 2nd will be given a $0.236 dividend. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 29th. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.61%.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.78, for a total transaction of $415,730.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,876,732.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 94.6% in the fourth quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 395 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the first quarter worth approximately $60,000. 85.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lowered shares of Agilent Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $163.00 to $125.00 in a report on Friday. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 29th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $124.00 to $120.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Thursday, September 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $123.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $143.94.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. 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; vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.