Commerce Bank Has $1.46 Million Stock Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• Commerce Bank has reduced its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 62.7% in the first quarter, now owning 12,469 shares valued at approximately $1.46 million.
• Agilent Technologies reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.31 per share, beating analysts' estimates of $1.26 and marking a 6% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.248 per share, leading to an annual dividend yield of 0.9%.

Commerce Bank lowered its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 62.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,469 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 20,941 shares during the period. Commerce Bank's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $1,459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $73,375,000 after purchasing an additional 623,264 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 345.9% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 769,897 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $103,428,000 after acquiring an additional 597,249 shares during the last quarter. Iron Triangle Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $80,110,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 280.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 806,895 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $108,398,000 after purchasing an additional 594,744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 141.5% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 935,893 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $109,481,000 after acquiring an additional 548,344 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.4%

Agilent Technologies stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $114.40. 492,062 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,998,411. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $153.84. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $117.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.23, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares in the company, valued at $4,397,893.12. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Agilent Technologies 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.