Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Takes Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired 434,573 Agilent shares worth approximately $57.7 million, representing about 0.15% of the company.
• Agilent reported strong fiscal third-quarter results, with revenue up 8.1% year over year to $1.88 billion and adjusted EPS of $1.62, beating analyst expectations. Management also raised its fiscal 2026 earnings and revenue outlook.
• Analyst sentiment improved, with several firms raising price targets to as high as $190 and the stock receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. However, shares trade near their 52-week high at valuation levels that leave less room for disappointment.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 434,573 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $57,724,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned about 0.15% of Agilent Technologies at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $549,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 87.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,233,964 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $695,227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,440,360 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the second quarter worth about $260,101,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 424.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,041,826 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $240,956,000 after purchasing an additional 1,652,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 132.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,354,111 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $277,807,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340,161 shares in the last quarter.

Key Agilent Technologies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Agilent Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Agilent reported fiscal Q3 revenue of $1.88 billion, up 8.1% year over year and ahead of the $1.84 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS was $1.62, beating expectations of approximately $1.49 and rising from $1.37 a year earlier. Operating profit, cash flow and margins also improved. Agilent Reports Third-Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its fiscal 2026 outlook to adjusted EPS of $6.18-$6.21, above the $6.06 analyst consensus, and projected approximately $7.5 billion in revenue versus expectations of $7.4 billion. Management cited improving demand for laboratory instruments used in research and drug development. Agilent raises annual profit forecast on improving lab tools demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment strengthened significantly following the results. Citigroup and JPMorgan raised their price targets to $190, while RBC lifted its target to $185. Barclays, Stifel, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, TD Cowen and Bernstein also raised targets, with most assigning Buy, Overweight or Outperform ratings. The revised targets imply roughly 11%-21% potential upside from the referenced trading level. Analyst price-target revisions
• Neutral Sentiment: Agilent is trading near its 52-week high and above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. That momentum supports investor confidence, although the stock’s valuation—around 32 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 2.7—leaves less room for disappointment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed in the latest filings: 594 investors added shares while 550 reduced holdings. Significant purchases by FMR, JPMorgan, Bank of New York Mellon and T. Rowe Price were offset by large sales from several other institutions.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on A. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Thursday, July 9th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.33.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $157.60 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $108.35 and a twelve month high of $163.75. The stock has a market cap of $44.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.25. The company's fifty day moving average is $139.76 and its 200 day moving average is $126.85.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.84% and a net margin of 19.53%.Agilent Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.05 EPS for the current year.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding A? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source