Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A Holdings Boosted by Generation Investment Management LLP

Generation Investment Management LLP increased its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 10.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,357,953 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 582,093 shares during the quarter. Agilent Technologies accounts for 5.4% of Generation Investment Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Generation Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $816,043,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 5.6% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,589 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $461,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 29.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 477 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,817 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,003,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 88,629 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $11,376,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. Finally, Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth $205,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised Agilent Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $165.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In other news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.99, for a total value of $464,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 31,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,935,811.54. This represents a 8.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $124.14 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.43 and a 12-month high of $160.27. The company has a market cap of $35.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.16, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.98.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.01. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 25.20%. The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Agilent Technologies 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.