Robeco Schweiz AG Has $129 Million Stock Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Robeco Schweiz AG trimmed its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 4.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,102,715 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 53,821 shares during the period. Agilent Technologies makes up about 3.2% of Robeco Schweiz AG's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Robeco Schweiz AG owned 0.39% of Agilent Technologies worth $128,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in A. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $456,963,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $94,051,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $73,375,000 after purchasing an additional 623,264 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 345.9% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 769,897 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $103,428,000 after purchasing an additional 597,249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $80,110,000.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE A traded down $0.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $123.35. 1,382,971 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,845,857. 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 stock has a market cap of $35.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.93. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $96.43 and a one year high of $153.84.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is currently 24.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on A. Robert W. Baird decreased 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were 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 represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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.