Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado trimmed its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 3.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 40,820 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,330 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $5,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,872 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $399,000 after buying an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 84.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 325,695 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $45,281,000 after buying an additional 149,159 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $479,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Agilent Technologies by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 536 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 12,621 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,755,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. 87.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $140.09 on Monday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.80 and a 1-year high of $155.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $137.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.12, a P/E/G ratio of 6.43 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.236 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on A shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $283,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 24,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,497,110. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

About Agilent Technologies

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.