IFM Investors Pty Ltd Purchases 5,659 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 10.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,659 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,659 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $7,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in A. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 640.0% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 286.2% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 1.8%

Agilent Technologies stock traded down $2.17 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $119.21. The company had a trading volume of 1,459,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,844,968. 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 cap of $33.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $113.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.14. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $96.43 and a 1 year high of $153.84.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies's revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on A shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 28th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.92.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total transaction of $177,099.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

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.