Parnassus Investments LLC Lowers Stock Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Parnassus Investments LLC reduced its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 460,456 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 213,592 shares during the quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC owned about 0.16% of Agilent Technologies worth $59,100,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 12.9% in the third quarter. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH now owns 17,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,970 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 41,229 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,292,000 after purchasing an additional 2,762 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 32.1% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 32,526 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,175,000 after purchasing an additional 7,896 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 1.7% in the third quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 74,791 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $9,618,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE A opened at $148.56 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $42.12 billion, a PE ratio of 32.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.29. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.43 and a 12 month high of $160.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 25.20%. Agilent Technologies’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.380 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.860-6.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 22.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.99, for a total value of $464,970.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 31,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,935,811.54. The trade was a 8.61% 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 the SEC website. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 911 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $130,491.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 32,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,591,987.92. This represents a 2.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 16,401 shares of company stock valued at $2,468,962 in the last 90 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upgraded Agilent Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $165.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $155.00 to $160.00 in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.31.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company’s product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.