Fifth Third Bancorp Sells 6,362 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Fifth Third Bancorp lowered its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 19.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,428 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 6,362 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $3,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $456,963,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $94,051,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $73,375,000 after purchasing an additional 623,264 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 597,249 shares during the period. Finally, Iron Triangle Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $80,110,000.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of A stock traded down $1.94 during trading on Friday, hitting $116.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,651,962 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,915,712. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $109.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.38. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $96.43 and a one year high of $153.84.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.92% and a net margin of 17.59%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is currently 24.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $211,840.74. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total transaction of $232,737.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,657,456.28. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on A shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.15.

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.