Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 40.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,110 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 12,496 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $2,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of A. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $456,963,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $94,051,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $73,375,000 after buying an additional 623,264 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 345.9% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 769,897 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $103,428,000 after acquiring an additional 597,249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Iron Triangle Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $80,110,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:A traded up $1.07 on Thursday, reaching $119.69. 1,487,990 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,883,156. The business's 50-day moving average is $111.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $153.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.55, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is 24.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on A shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Barclays upped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their price target 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $211,840.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

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.