iA Global Asset Management Inc. Purchases 24,584 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management Inc. significantly increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 593.5%, owning 28,726 shares valued at approximately $3.36 million at the end of the first quarter.
• CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares on July 1st, decreasing his ownership by 3.87% and bringing his total shares to 37,448.
• Analysts have mixed views on Agilent Technologies, with target prices ranging from $125.00 to $150.00, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from eight buy and six hold ratings.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 593.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,726 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,584 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $3,360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 3.0% in the first quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,449 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 3,688 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 873 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,406 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,784 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

A traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $114.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,129,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,744,167. The company's 50-day moving average is $117.34 and its 200-day moving average is $119.92. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.43 and a 52 week high of $153.84. The firm has a market cap of $32.58 billion, a PE ratio of 28.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.09.

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

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were issued a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. 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 note on Thursday, May 29th. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $139.77.

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.