Raymond James Financial Inc. Boosts Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 2.8% in Q1, holding 368,661 shares valued at $43.1 million.
• Agilent reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with $1.31 earnings per share, exceeding estimates of $1.26, alongside a revenue of $1.67 billion.
• Analyst ratings for Agilent show a consensus of "Moderate Buy", with a target price of $139.77, though several firms adjusted their price targets recently.

Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 368,661 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,077 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Agilent Technologies worth $43,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 286.2% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 640.0% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,397,893.12. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of A stock traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $118.70. 885,782 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,936,249. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $117.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.88. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.43 and a 1-year high of $153.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market cap of $33.72 billion, a PE ratio of 29.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.22.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on A shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays raised their price objective 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. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Six 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 currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.83.

About Agilent Technologies

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.