ING Groep NV Purchases 64,331 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• ING Groep NV increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 41.3%, acquiring an additional 64,331 shares during the first quarter, bringing their total ownership to approximately $25.73 million.
• Agilent Technologies reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.31, surpassing analysts' expectations, with revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, marking a 6% year-over-year increase.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.248 per share, representing a 0.9% yield, with a payout ratio of 24.44%.

ING Groep NV grew its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 41.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 219,953 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 64,331 shares during the period. ING Groep NV owned approximately 0.08% of Agilent Technologies worth $25,730,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $73,375,000 after acquiring an additional 623,264 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 345.9% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 769,897 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $103,428,000 after purchasing an additional 597,249 shares in the last quarter. Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $80,110,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 280.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 806,895 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $108,398,000 after buying an additional 594,744 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 141.5% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 935,893 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $109,481,000 after buying an additional 548,344 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on A. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Leerink Partners upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.77.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

A stock traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $114.69. 688,755 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,999,740. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.43 and a 1-year high of $153.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.58 billion, a PE ratio of 28.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st were given a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.44%.

About Agilent Technologies

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.