Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy" Rating

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.92.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of A stock traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $119.20. 1,734,703 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,850,635. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.23. Agilent Technologies has a one year low of $96.43 and a one year high of $153.84. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $112.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.09.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.92% and a net margin of 17.59%. The business's revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Agilent Technologies will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $211,840.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $1,376,000. Swedbank AB increased its position in Agilent Technologies by 0.8% during the first quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 147,426 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $17,246,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new position in Agilent Technologies during the first quarter valued at about $129,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 36.2% during the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,732 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the first quarter worth about $800,000.

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.