Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A Shares Purchased by FORA Capital LLC

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 66.7%, owning a total of 10,357 shares valued at approximately $1.21 million by the end of the first quarter.
• Agilent reported an EPS of $1.31 for the recent quarter, surpassing estimates by $0.05, with revenues of $1.67 billion, up 6% from the previous year.
• Analysts have raised their ratings on Agilent; with six analysts issuing a Buy rating and an average price target of $138.83.

FORA Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 66.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,357 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,145 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $1,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,408,626 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,908,141,000 after buying an additional 240,965 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 2.5% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,341,870 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $624,888,000 after purchasing an additional 128,131 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,436,700 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $596,026,000 after purchasing an additional 38,348 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,192,790 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $563,259,000 after purchasing an additional 457,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,231,981 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $434,184,000 after purchasing an additional 283,445 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of A stock opened at $118.44 on Wednesday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $153.84. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $117.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.22. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The firm's revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on A shares. Wall Street Zen raised Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.83.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Agilent Technologies Company 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.

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