Citigroup Inc. Increases Stock Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 40.9%, owning 287,999 shares worth approximately $33.69 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Agilent Technologies reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.31, surpassing analysts' estimates and marking a 6.0% year-over-year revenue increase.
• Several investment firms provided updated ratings for Agilent, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.77.

Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 40.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 287,999 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 83,609 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned about 0.10% of Agilent Technologies worth $33,690,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 11.6% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 515,035 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $60,249,000 after acquiring an additional 53,550 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 88.6% in the first quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,208 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $960,000 after acquiring an additional 3,855 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 427.1% in the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 14,728 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,723,000 after acquiring an additional 11,934 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $210,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 0.5% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,708,940 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $199,912,000 after buying an additional 8,151 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:A traded up $0.43 during trading on Friday, reaching $119.30. The stock had a trading volume of 1,238,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,437,926. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $153.84. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $117.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.51. The stock has a market cap of $33.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.22.

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, 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 firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st were given a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 24.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 28th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.77.

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.