Sivik Global Healthcare LLC Buys 15,000 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Sivik Global Healthcare LLC raised its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 42.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 50,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the period. Agilent Technologies makes up 3.2% of Sivik Global Healthcare LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $5,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $456,963,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,051,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $73,375,000 after purchasing an additional 623,264 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in Agilent Technologies by 345.9% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 769,897 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $103,428,000 after acquiring an additional 597,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Iron Triangle Partners LP purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $80,110,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:A opened at $115.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $32.84 billion, a PE ratio of 28.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.70. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $153.84.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In related news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.15.

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.