DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Trims Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lessened its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 192,992 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 13,075 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main owned about 0.07% of Agilent Technologies worth $25,927,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of A. CKW Financial Group raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 114.9% during the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in 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 position in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 263 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.42% of the company's stock.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock traded down $3.49 on Wednesday, hitting $111.93. The stock had a trading volume of 1,246,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,894,678. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $111.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.57. The stock has a market cap of $31.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.27. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $96.43 and a one year high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.56% and a net margin of 19.27%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Insider Activity

In other Agilent Technologies news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $211,840.74. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,737 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total value of $232,737.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,657,456.28. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on A shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $143.00.

Agilent Technologies Profile

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.