KBC Group NV Has $11.17 Million Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

KBC Group NV raised its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 82,056 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,635 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $11,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 490.0% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 236 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 2,836.4% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 323 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on A. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Evercore upgraded Agilent Technologies from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $155.00 to $160.00 in a report on Monday, January 5th. Barclays dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.53.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 2.9%

A stock opened at $121.72 on Friday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $99.12 and a twelve month high of $160.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $118.10 and its 200-day moving average is $133.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.40 billion, a PE ratio of 26.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.30.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.01). Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 24.49%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.040 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.420 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.52%.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company’s product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.