Gotham Asset Management LLC Sells 15,018 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Gotham Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 72.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,709 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 15,018 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. CKW Financial Group increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 114.9% during the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 161.1% during the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 263 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 1.2%

A stock opened at $113.76 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $110.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.16. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.43 and a 12 month high of $154.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 25.56%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on A shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $143.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $211,840.74. Following the sale, the director now owns 35,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,161,931.02. The trade was a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total value of $232,737.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 21,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,657,456.28. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

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.