Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Has $6.02 Million Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 380.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,275 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 34,275 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $6,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Agilent Technologies by 120.7% during the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 192 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 107.3% in the fourth quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 257 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 51.1% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 284 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $131.81 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $140.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.24. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.80 and a 1-year high of $155.35. The company has a market cap of $38.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a PEG ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 1.07.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 29th. The medical research company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 26.25% and a net margin of 18.84%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 2nd will be given a $0.236 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on A. UBS Group reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $141.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $126.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $163.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Barclays reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.50.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, SVP Philip Binns sold 2,827 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.54, for a total value of $417,095.58. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,474,957.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $254,540.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 25,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,274,050. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Philip Binns sold 2,827 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.54, for a total transaction of $417,095.58. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,474,957.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,785 shares of company stock valued at $2,670,836.

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.