First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Buys New Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new Agilent stake of 6,267 shares worth approximately $1.08 million during the third quarter, while several other institutional investors also increased their holdings.
• Wall Street sentiment remains favorable, with 15 analysts rating Agilent a Buy and four a Hold. The stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $173.65.
• Agilent reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, with year-over-year revenue growth of 8.1%, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share, equivalent to a 0.6% annual yield.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 6,267 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $1,080,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of A. ProCore Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 4.8% in the third quarter. ProCore Advisors LLC now owns 2,290 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 64.5% in the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,874 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $495,000 after buying an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 4.7% in the third quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 4,933 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $845,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 10.3% in the third quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 2,116 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Terra Nova Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 27.3% in the third quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC now owns 2,800 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 3rd. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $173.65.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of A opened at $175.54 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $158.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.21. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.35 and a 52 week high of $177.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 19.53%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be given a $0.2550 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Agilent Technologies news, Director Mikael Dolsten sold 634 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.38, for a total transaction of $95,974.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $745,395.12. The trade was a 11.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Agilent Technologies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Agilent Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target support: Morgan Stanley forecast meaningful appreciation for Agilent shares, while TD Cowen raised its price target. The revisions reinforce positive Wall Street sentiment and suggest analysts see additional upside despite the stock’s recent gains. Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Agilent Technologies Stock Agilent Technologies Stock Gets Price Target Bump from TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Proscia acquisition expands AI capabilities: Agilent agreed to acquire pathology-software company Proscia for $240 million upfront, with the total consideration potentially reaching $270 million through milestones. The deal would strengthen Agilent’s position in AI-enabled digital pathology and scientific intelligence, adding a potentially faster-growing software component to its tools and diagnostics portfolio. Agilent Technologies to Acquire Proscia
• Positive Sentiment: Favorable market backdrop: A new industry report projects the global metabolomics market will expand at a 17.3% compound annual growth rate through 2030. Agilent is identified as one of the companies positioned to benefit as laboratories adopt AI-assisted diagnostics and advanced analytical technologies. Global Metabolomics Market Report 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: China expansion: Agilent plans to expand its capabilities in China, which could improve access to regional demand and support longer-term growth. However, execution, regulatory and geopolitical risks remain considerations for investors. Agilent to Expand Capabilities in China
• Negative Sentiment: Acquisition costs and integration risk: The Proscia transaction requires substantial capital and may create integration and milestone-payment risks before it contributes materially to earnings. With Agilent already trading at a premium valuation, investors may scrutinize the deal’s execution and return on investment.

Agilent Technologies Profile

Agilent Technologies, Inc is an analytical measurement and laboratory technology company serving the life sciences, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental, food, energy and academic research markets. Its solutions help laboratories analyze the composition, quality and performance of materials, biological samples and other substances.

The company's products and services include liquid and gas chromatography systems, mass spectrometry instruments, spectroscopy equipment, laboratory automation tools, software, consumables and supplies.

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