Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. cut its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 8.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 893,891 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 81,994 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.31% of Agilent Technologies worth $104,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $456,963,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $94,051,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 623,264 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 345.9% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $80,110,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.92.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $119.69. 1,487,990 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,882,971. The company has a market capitalization of $34.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.23. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $111.51 and its 200-day moving average is $124.24. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $96.43 and a 1 year high of $153.84.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $211,840.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,161,931.02. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Agilent Technologies Company 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.