StockNews.com Upgrades Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) to “Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Vertical Research began coverage on shares of Keysight Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Keysight Technologies from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Barclays raised shares of Keysight Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $158.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Keysight Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Keysight Technologies from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.89.

Keysight Technologies Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE KEYS opened at $151.42 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $155.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $26.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.98. Keysight Technologies has a 52-week low of $119.72 and a 52-week high of $166.28.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. Keysight Technologies had a net margin of 18.24% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.04 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Keysight Technologies will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Richard P. Hamada sold 1,632 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total value of $254,592.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 42,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,960. The trade was a 3.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Keysight Technologies by 3.8% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 4,128,892 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $564,626,000 after purchasing an additional 151,446 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Sarl acquired a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,434,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in Keysight Technologies by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 16,895 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,685,000 after acquiring an additional 7,106 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its holdings in Keysight Technologies by 172.6% during the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 41,977 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,565,000 after acquiring an additional 26,577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. grew its holdings in Keysight Technologies by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. now owns 80,629 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $12,814,000 after acquiring an additional 17,962 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.58% of the company’s stock.

Keysight Technologies Company Profile

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.