Danske Bank A S Sells 44,623 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Danske Bank A S cut its stake in Agilent by 11.1%, selling 44,623 shares and holding 356,844 shares valued at about $48.56 million at the end of the quarter.
• Agilent slightly missed quarterly estimates (EPS $1.36 vs. $1.37; revenue $1.80B vs. $1.81B) but set FY2026 guidance of 5.90–6.04 EPS, and analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating with an average price target of $163.71.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.255 (annualized $1.02, yield ~0.9%), trades around $114.57 with a one-year range of $104.36–$160.27, and has a P/E of about 25.3.

Danske Bank A S cut its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 356,844 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 44,623 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S owned 0.13% of Agilent Technologies worth $48,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in A. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 490.0% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 236 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. HSBC started coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Evercore raised shares of Agilent Technologies from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $155.00 to $160.00 in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $163.71.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:A opened at $114.57 on Friday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $104.36 and a one year high of $160.27. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $116.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $132.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.59.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.01). Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 24.49%. The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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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