Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A Shares Sold by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its Agilent Technologies stake by 8% in the first quarter, selling 13,025 shares and retaining 149,370 shares valued at approximately $17.0 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $159.35; Barclays raised its target to $150, while Bank of America upgraded the shares to “Buy.”
• Agilent exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.49 in EPS and $1.83 billion in revenue, with revenue up 10% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share, representing a 0.7% yield.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 149,370 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 13,025 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.05% of Agilent Technologies worth $17,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,663 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $626,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 15.9% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,610 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $602,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 54.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 599 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,352 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $625,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $273,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on A shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Bank of America raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $150.00 to $145.00 in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $159.35.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE A opened at $138.32 on Friday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.35 and a 12-month high of $160.27. The company has a market cap of $39.06 billion, a PE ratio of 27.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.33% and a net margin of 19.55%.The firm's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.480-1.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.01 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.48%.

Agilent Technologies Profile

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company's product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.

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