Analysts Set Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Price Target at $138.06

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $138.06.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $163.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $163.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Citigroup raised Agilent Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 31st.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 2.7 %

NYSE:A opened at $134.22 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.15. The company has a market capitalization of $39.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $135.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.53. Agilent Technologies has a 52 week low of $96.80 and a 52 week high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 29th. The medical research company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 26.25% and a net margin of 18.84%. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 2nd were given a $0.236 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 2nd. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.28, for a total value of $1,999,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 49,486 shares in the company, valued at $6,595,494.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $254,540.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 25,185 shares in the company, valued at $3,274,050. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Dominique Grau sold 15,000 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.28, for a total value of $1,999,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 49,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,595,494.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Argent Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 29,199 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,785,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the second quarter worth about $43,000. Everhart Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the second quarter worth about $295,000. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,211 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Family Advisors LLC lifted its position in Agilent Technologies by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Oak Family Advisors LLC now owns 4,949 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. 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; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.