Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Stake Raised by Riverwater Partners LLC

Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 68.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,112 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 1,669 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $481,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in A. Sienna Gestion raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 78,445 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $10,537,000 after buying an additional 17,991 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 33,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,554,000 after acquiring an additional 2,664 shares during the period. Prudential PLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 73,273 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $9,843,000 after acquiring an additional 10,128 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 43,862 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,892,000 after purchasing an additional 3,915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Agilent Technologies by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 49,288 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,621,000 after purchasing an additional 6,802 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of A opened at $115.62 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $110.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.86. The stock has a market cap of $32.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.60. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $96.43 and a one year high of $153.84.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 24.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Agilent Technologies news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on A shares. Wall Street Zen cut Agilent Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.15.

Agilent Technologies 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.