Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Trading Up 3.9% – Time to Buy?

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)’s share price traded up 3.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $169.89 and last traded at $171.7230. 157,718 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 2,258,314 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.32.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on A shares. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.33.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 2.5%

The company has a market cap of $47.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $147.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.13. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 19.53%.The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 20.08%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mikael Dolsten sold 634 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.38, for a total transaction of $95,974.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $745,395.12. The trade was a 11.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Agilent Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Markowski Investments bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 87.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

Agilent Technologies, Inc is a global provider of analytical instruments, laboratory software, consumables and services used by organizations in the life sciences, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental and food industries. Its solutions help customers analyze the composition and quality of substances, develop and manufacture products, and conduct research and testing.

The company’s offerings include liquid and gas chromatography systems, mass spectrometry instruments, spectroscopy and atomic analysis equipment, automated electrophoresis systems, laboratory informatics software, columns and other consumables.