Candriam S.C.A. Buys 298,596 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 134.3%, acquiring an additional 298,596 shares, bringing its total to 520,956 shares valued at approximately $60.94 million.
• Agilent Technologies reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.31 for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.26, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 6.0%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.248 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 0.8% and a payout ratio of 24.44%.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 134.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 520,956 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 298,596 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.18% of Agilent Technologies worth $60,942,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 640.0% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in Agilent Technologies by 286.2% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth $31,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

A stock traded down $2.3590 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $119.2710. 438,647 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,936,749. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.43 and a 52 week high of $153.84. The business has a 50-day moving average of $117.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.88 billion, a PE ratio of 29.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 1.22.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.540-5.610 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.350-1.370 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 37,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on A. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. Leerink Partners increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $139.77.

About Agilent Technologies

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.