Apollon Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 53.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,530 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 5,254 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $530,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.5% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 36,674 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,279,000 after acquiring an additional 4,362 shares during the period. Prudential PLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 73,273 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $9,843,000 after purchasing an additional 10,128 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 43,862 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $5,892,000 after purchasing an additional 3,915 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 8.3% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 30,827 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,606,000 after purchasing an additional 2,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 29.5% during the first quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 13,358 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,563,000 after purchasing an additional 3,040 shares in the last quarter. 87.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:A traded down $2.39 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $113.97. The stock had a trading volume of 1,521,841 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,862,104. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $96.43 and a 1 year high of $153.84. The firm's 50 day moving average is $116.04 and its 200-day moving average is $122.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.23.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. Agilent Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on A. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 28th. Barclays upped 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 note on Tuesday, June 24th. UBS Group dropped 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 note on Thursday, May 29th. 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, July 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.77.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 37,448 shares in the company, valued at $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Agilent Technologies Profile

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.