Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group increased its Agilent Technologies stake by 52.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 74,247 shares valued at about $10.1 million.
• Agilent reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.49 versus $1.41 expected and revenue of $1.84 billion, up 10% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $161.71.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 52.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,247 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,515 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $10,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 6,620 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 4,931 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $633,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 4,218 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 29,076 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,732,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of A stock opened at $135.51 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $118.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.35. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.35 and a twelve month high of $160.27. The company 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 company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is presently 20.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. UBS Group cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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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