Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Price Target Cut to $140.00 by Analysts at Robert W. Baird

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $159.00 to $140.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the medical research company's stock. Robert W. Baird's target price would suggest a potential upside of 28.08% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.42.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

A stock traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $109.31. 328,602 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,911,455. Agilent Technologies has a 52 week low of $96.43 and a 52 week high of $154.49. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $109.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.56% and a net margin of 19.27%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies will post 5.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In other Agilent Technologies news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $211,840.74. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total transaction of $232,737.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 21,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,657,456.28. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. CKW Financial Group boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 114.9% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 161.1% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 286.2% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period.

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.

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