Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Acquires 9,615 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 39.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 9,615 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 33,918 shares worth about $4.6 million.
• Agilent’s latest quarterly results missed earnings and revenue estimates by a small margin, with EPS of $1.36 versus $1.37 expected and revenue of $1.80 billion versus $1.81 billion expected, though revenue still rose 7% year over year.
• Despite recent analyst price-target cuts, Wall Street remains constructive on the stock, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $163.71, above the recent share price around $115.52.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 39.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,918 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 9,615 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $4,615,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in A. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Agilent Technologies by 13.8% in 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 shares of Agilent Technologies by 4.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,380,521 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,203,990,000 after purchasing an additional 433,342 shares in the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 10.1% in the third quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 6,357,953 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $816,043,000 after purchasing an additional 582,093 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,708,591 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $347,685,000 after buying an additional 354,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Troy Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.3% during the third quarter. Troy Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,404,161 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $308,574,000 after buying an additional 6,341 shares during the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE A opened at $115.52 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.50, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.22. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $106.79 and a one year high of $160.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The business's fifty day moving average is $115.99 and its 200-day moving average is $131.97.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.01). Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.49% and a net margin of 18.26%.The company had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.040 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.420 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on A shares. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $157.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $180.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.71.

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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