Blueshift Asset Management LLC Makes New $567,000 Investment in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• Blueshift Asset Management LLC has acquired 4,847 shares of Agilent Technologies, valued at approximately $567,000, marking its entry into the company's stock during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Pictet Asset Management and Deutsche Bank, have also recently increased their stakes in Agilent Technologies, signaling strong interest in the company.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Agilent Technologies, with target prices ranging from $116.00 to $159.00, reflecting a broad consensus of a "Moderate Buy" rating.

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,847 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $567,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 286.2% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in Agilent Technologies by 640.0% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on A. Robert W. Baird decreased 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE A traded up $1.49 on Monday, hitting $114.99. The company had a trading volume of 1,343,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,875,311. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.22. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.43 and a 12-month high of $153.84. The business has a 50 day moving average of $117.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.47.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.92% and a net margin of 17.59%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were paid a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is currently 24.44%.

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.