Legal & General Group Plc Acquires Shares of 1,958,152 Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 1,958,152 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $260,101,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in A. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000.

Agilent Technologies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Agilent Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Agilent reported fiscal Q3 revenue of $1.88 billion, up 8.1% year over year and ahead of the roughly $1.84 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $1.62 exceeded estimates near $1.48-$1.49 and rose from $1.37 a year earlier. Agilent Technologies Q3 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability and cash generation strengthened. Operating profit increased 23.3% to $444 million, operating cash flow rose 43.4% to $519 million, and the company ended the quarter with $1.8 billion in cash. GAAP net income reached $362 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, versus $336 million, or $1.18, a year earlier. Agilent Reports Third-Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Agilent raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $6.18-$6.21, above the approximately $6.06 consensus, and projected revenue of about $7.5 billion versus expectations near $7.4 billion. Management cited improving laboratory-tools demand. Fourth-quarter guidance was broadly in line with analyst estimates. Agilent Raises Annual Profit Forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investor positioning was mixed: 594 investors increased holdings in the latest quarter, while 550 reduced positions. Recent analyst targets have a median of $155, suggesting limited near-term upside relative to the recent trading level.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, Agilent trades at a relatively demanding valuation, with a P/E ratio above 31, and the stock is close to its 12-month high. This could make the shares more sensitive to any slowdown in laboratory-equipment demand or future guidance disappointments.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.24.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 0.3%

A opened at $155.16 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $139.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.65. The company has a market capitalization of $43.82 billion, a PE ratio of 31.16, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.25. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.35 and a 1-year high of $160.51. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.05 EPS for the current year.

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.