Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Purchases 928,821 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Balyasny Asset Management boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 192% in the fourth quarter, buying 928,821 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1,412,535 shares valued at about $192.2 million.
• Other major institutional investors also increased their positions, while Wall Street analysts remain broadly positive on the stock with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $160.93.
• Agilent reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.49 and revenue of $1.84 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share payable on July 22.

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 192.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,412,535 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 928,821 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned about 0.50% of Agilent Technologies worth $192,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of A. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,147,601 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,925,064,000 after buying an additional 1,713,216 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,681,792 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,725,611,000 after buying an additional 241,029 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,380,521 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,203,990,000 after buying an additional 433,342 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,425,861 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,006,519,000 after buying an additional 25,139 shares during the period. Finally, Generation Investment Management LLP raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 6,357,953 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $816,043,000 after buying an additional 582,093 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on A shares. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. HSBC dropped their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.93.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

NYSE A opened at $124.59 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.35 and a 12-month high of $160.27. The company has a market capitalization of $35.19 billion, a PE ratio of 25.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.26. The firm's 50 day moving average is $121.00 and its 200-day moving average is $127.10.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The company had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.480-1.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is presently 20.48%.

Agilent Technologies Profile

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company's product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.

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