Baird Financial Group Inc. Grows Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group increased its Agilent Technologies stake by 53.8% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 91,342 shares valued at approximately $12.1 million. Several other institutional investors also initiated positions.
• Agilent reported quarterly EPS of $1.62, beating estimates of $1.49, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $1.88 billion. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $6.18–$6.21.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $170.33, compared with the reported share price of $146.91. Director Mikael Dolsten separately sold 634 shares.

Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 53.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,342 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 31,940 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $12,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Markowski Investments acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE A opened at $146.91 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.92, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.24. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.35 and a 12 month high of $163.75. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $143.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.53% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business's revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. Analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on A. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $170.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Agilent Technologies news, Director Mikael Dolsten sold 634 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.38, for a total value of $95,974.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $745,395.12. This trade represents a 11.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc is a global provider of analytical instruments, laboratory software, consumables and services used by organizations in the life sciences, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental and food industries. Its solutions help customers analyze the composition and quality of substances, develop and manufacture products, and conduct research and testing.

The company's offerings include liquid and gas chromatography systems, mass spectrometry instruments, spectroscopy and atomic analysis equipment, automated electrophoresis systems, laboratory informatics software, columns and other consumables.

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