Cantillon Capital Management LLC Acquires 23,493 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Cantillon Capital Management increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 23,493 shares in the fourth quarter, bringing its total holdings to 3,115,638 shares worth about $423.9 million.
• Agilent reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.49 and revenue of $1.84 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates, and raised guidance for FY 2026 and Q3 2026.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $161.71.

Cantillon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,115,638 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,493 shares during the period. Agilent Technologies makes up about 2.3% of Cantillon Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Cantillon Capital Management LLC owned about 1.10% of Agilent Technologies worth $423,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of A. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $1,925,064,000 after acquiring an additional 1,713,216 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted 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 lifted 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. Generation Investment Management LLP lifted 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. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $549,158,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $135.51 on Monday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $108.35 and a one year high of $160.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.21, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.62.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.33% and a net margin of 19.55%.The firm's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is currently 20.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $153.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Bank of America raised Agilent Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.71.

Agilent Technologies Company 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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