Czech National Bank Buys 3,612 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Czech National Bank grew its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,456 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,612 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $8,828,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of A. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $218,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1,027.2% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 43,914 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,105,000 after acquiring an additional 40,018 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 131.0% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 37,668 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,237,000 after acquiring an additional 21,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinebridge Investments L.P. lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 21,136 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,938,000 after buying an additional 1,963 shares in the last quarter. 87.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 0.3 %

A stock traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $144.97. 1,001,140 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,711,910. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $140.12 and its 200-day moving average is $139.09. The company has a market cap of $42.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.27, a PEG ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.80 and a 12 month high of $155.35.

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 business had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.26% and a net margin of 21.75%. Agilent Technologies’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $0.236 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Insider Activity

In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,801,595. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $274,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 26,076 shares in the company, valued at $3,650,640. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was 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 owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at $5,801,595. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,953 shares of company stock valued at $2,013,630. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $151.00 price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, August 26th. Barclays increased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Citigroup increased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.64.

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.