Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS) Position Reduced by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS) by 10.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 233,545 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 26,204 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Keysight Technologies were worth $36,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KEYS. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $395,789,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $303,444,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies in the first quarter valued at $250,097,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Keysight Technologies by 105.5% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,383,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $379,134,000 after buying an additional 1,223,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its holdings in shares of Keysight Technologies by 96.0% in the first quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,692,446 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $264,665,000 after buying an additional 828,913 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on KEYS shares. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Keysight Technologies from $208.00 to $195.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $155.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. Vertical Research started coverage on shares of Keysight Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $141.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Keysight Technologies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Lisa M. Poole sold 440 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.45, for a total transaction of $60,038.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $533,928.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, VP Lisa M. Poole sold 440 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.45, for a total value of $60,038.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,913 shares in the company, valued at $533,928.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Kevin A. Stephens acquired 460 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $143.35 per share, with a total value of $65,941.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,101,071.35. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Keysight Technologies Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Keysight Technologies stock traded up $2.51 on Friday, hitting $138.40. 816,144 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,089,291. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $139.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Keysight Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.57 and a 12-month high of $170.60. The company has a market cap of $24.16 billion, a PE ratio of 30.15, a PEG ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.95.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.01. Keysight Technologies had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 23.79%. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Keysight Technologies, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Keysight Technologies Profile

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.