Harvey Investment Co. LLC Lowers Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Harvey Investment Co. LLC cut its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 1.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 213,377 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,755 shares during the quarter. Agilent Technologies makes up about 2.8% of Harvey Investment Co. LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Harvey Investment Co. LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Agilent Technologies worth $24,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the first quarter worth about $70,000. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 42.9% in the first quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $5,849,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the period. Praxis Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 19.5% in the first quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,305 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the first quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 4,112 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 1,669 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 8.0% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,763 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $206,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

A opened at $115.61 on Friday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.43 and a 52-week high of $153.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $32.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.23. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $110.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.59.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.15.

Agilent Technologies Company 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.

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