Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 351,715 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,858 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Agilent Technologies worth $40,088,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in A. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 104.6% during the 1st quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 9,593 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 4,904 shares in the last quarter. Paradiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the first quarter worth about $3,364,000. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 14.6% in the first quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 2,820 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the period. Associated Banc Corp boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 30.8% in the first quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 3,236 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 762 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 125.8% during the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,366 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 1,875 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.41% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of A opened at $131.34 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.63. The company has a market capitalization of $37.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.62. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.35 and a 1-year high of $160.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. Agilent Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.31 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.480-1.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 20.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $153.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Thursday, July 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $135.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.35.

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.