Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A Stock Position Lifted by Swedbank AB

Key Points

• Swedbank AB more than doubled its position in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter, increasing holdings by 102.6% to 332,316 shares valued at about $45.2 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their stakes, while analyst sentiment remains broadly positive with a consensus Buy rating and an average target price of $163.71, though some firms have recently cut price targets.
• Agilent reported quarterly EPS of $1.36, slightly below estimates, on revenue of $1.80 billion, and it announced a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share to be paid July 22.

Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 102.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 332,316 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 168,296 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned 0.12% of Agilent Technologies worth $45,218,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of A. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,147,601 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,925,064,000 after purchasing an additional 1,713,216 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 424.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,041,826 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $240,956,000 after purchasing an additional 1,652,244 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 132.2% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,354,111 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $277,807,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340,161 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 3,091.1% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 808,215 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $109,974,000 after purchasing an additional 782,888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 639.4% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 678,718 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $80,093,000 after purchasing an additional 586,931 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on A. Wall Street Zen cut Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $163.71.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE A opened at $115.01 on Monday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $107.07 and a 12 month high of $160.27. The company has a market cap of $32.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $129.46.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.01). Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 24.49%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.040 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.420 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.52%.

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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