Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Agilent Technologies has an average analyst rating of "Buy" from 15 covering analysts, with an average 12-month price target of about $163.71.
• The company reported Q1 earnings of $1.36 per share, narrowly missing expectations, while revenue of $1.80 billion was also slightly below estimates but still up 7% year over year.
• Agilent also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share, payable July 22, which works out to an annualized yield of about 0.9%.

Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $163.7143.

A has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 26th.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of A opened at $115.01 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $114.77 and its 200 day moving average is $129.56. Agilent Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $107.07 and a fifty-two week high of $160.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.07.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.01). Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.49% and a net margin of 18.26%.The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.040 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.420 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Agilent Technologies will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is currently 22.52%.

Institutional Trading of Agilent Technologies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in A. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 3.2% during the third quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 2,257 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.1% in the third quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 6,620 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 4,931 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $633,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Capital Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 4,218 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 87.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company's product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.

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