PFG Investments LLC Boosts Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

PFG Investments LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,345 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $938,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 953.3% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 32,694 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,757,000 after acquiring an additional 29,590 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 26.2% in the 1st quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,770 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,168,000 after acquiring an additional 4,523 shares during the period. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $1,355,000. Finally, Marshall Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,058,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,801,595. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,801,595. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $283,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,497,110. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,995 shares of company stock worth $1,739,510. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $131.23 on Wednesday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.80 and a 52 week high of $155.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.71 billion, a PE ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 6.96 and a beta of 1.05.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The medical research company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 21.75% and a return on equity of 25.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.236 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $157.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $151.00 price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.36.

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.