Van ECK Associates Corp Lowers Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Van ECK Associates Corp reduced its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 46.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,612,600 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,395,263 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $219,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of A stock opened at $129.76 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $120.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.86. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.35 and a 52 week high of $160.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.65 billion, a PE ratio of 26.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.31 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.480-1.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 20.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $153.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.93.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

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.