Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Stock Price

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised Agilent Technologies’ price target to $190 from $175 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 11.27% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: 15 analysts rate the stock a Buy and four rate it Hold, giving Agilent a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target of $173.65.
• Agilent exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.62 in adjusted EPS versus a $1.49 consensus estimate and $1.88 billion in revenue, up 8.1% year over year.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $190.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the medical research company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would suggest a potential upside of 11.27% from the company's previous close.

Several other research firms have also commented on A. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $173.65.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of A stock traded down $0.58 on Tuesday, reaching $170.75. 341,925 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,260,540. The company has a market cap of $48.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $156.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.05. Agilent Technologies has a 1 year low of $108.35 and a 1 year high of $177.05.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.53% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies will post 6.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mikael Dolsten sold 634 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.38, for a total value of $95,974.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,924 shares in the company, valued at $745,395.12. This represents a 11.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC now owns 2,800 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $482,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 18.2% during the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 8,386 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,410,000 after acquiring an additional 1,293 shares during the last quarter. DKM Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $258,000. Riversedge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 28.6% in the third quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 2,043 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.7% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,533 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

Agilent Technologies, Inc is an analytical measurement and laboratory technology company serving the life sciences, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental, food, energy and academic research markets. Its solutions help laboratories analyze the composition, quality and performance of materials, biological samples and other substances.

The company's products and services include liquid and gas chromatography systems, mass spectrometry instruments, spectroscopy equipment, laboratory automation tools, software, consumables and supplies.

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