Ground Swell Capital LLC Takes Position in Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE:KEYS)

Key Points

• Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired 2,410 shares of Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) valued at approximately $361,000, indicating growing interest among institutional investors.
• Brokerages have shown a positive outlook on Keysight Technologies, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. raising their price target from $177.00 to $200.00, and maintaining an "overweight" rating.
• Keysight Technologies reported a net margin of 14.50% and an EPS of $1.70 for the most recent quarter, surpassing analysts’ expectations and showing a revenue increase of 7.4% year-over-year.

Ground Swell Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE:KEYS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,410 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KEYS. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its position in Keysight Technologies by 97.8% during the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 182 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Keysight Technologies by 85.0% in the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 235 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Keysight Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 39.9% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Keysight Technologies

In other news, CEO Satish Dhanasekaran sold 658 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.78, for a total transaction of $103,819.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 115,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,235,581.28. The trade was a 0.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Richard P. Hamada sold 1,589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total transaction of $257,418.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 42,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,829,920. This trade represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,830 shares of company stock worth $5,124,049 in the last three months. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Keysight Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:KEYS traded down $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $163.36. The stock had a trading volume of 1,061,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 796,700. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 2.75 and a current ratio of 3.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.35, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.11. Keysight Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $121.43 and a twelve month high of $186.20. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $158.62.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.05. Keysight Technologies had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 19.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Keysight Technologies Inc. will post 6.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Keysight Technologies from $156.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America upgraded Keysight Technologies from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Keysight Technologies from $177.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Keysight Technologies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.50.

Keysight Technologies Profile

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.