Earnest Partners LLC Reduces Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Earnest Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 3.1%, selling 15,248 shares and retaining approximately 483,086 shares valued at $56.5 million.
• Agilent Technologies reported earnings of $1.37 per share for the last quarter, meeting analysts' expectations, while revenue increased by 10.1% year-over-year to $1.74 billion.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Pictet Asset Management, have recently increased their positions in Agilent Technologies, indicating growing institutional interest.

Earnest Partners LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 483,086 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 15,248 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Agilent Technologies worth $56,511,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of A. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,408,626 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,908,141,000 after buying an additional 240,965 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.5% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,341,870 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $624,888,000 after buying an additional 128,131 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,436,700 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $596,026,000 after buying an additional 38,348 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,192,790 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $563,259,000 after purchasing an additional 457,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,231,981 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $434,184,000 after purchasing an additional 283,445 shares in the last quarter. 87.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total transaction of $177,099.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE A traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $125.63. The company had a trading volume of 1,781,214 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,382,881. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.43 and a 1-year high of $153.84. The firm's 50 day moving average is $118.39 and its 200-day moving average is $116.36.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The medical research company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.37. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.51% and a net margin of 17.97%.The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.560-5.590 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.570-1.600 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on A shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 28th. Barclays reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.25.

About Agilent Technologies

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.