Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 26.8%, owning approximately 158,703 shares worth about $18.57 million as of the end of the first quarter.
• Agilent Technologies reported a quarterly EPS of $1.31, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue of $1.67 billion, up 6.0% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.248 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $0.99 and a yield of 0.9%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 26.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 158,703 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 33,527 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Agilent Technologies worth $18,565,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 7,479 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted 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 worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15.2% in the first quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 873 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 5.1% in the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,406 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.6% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,784 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $560,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. 87.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE A traded up $1.49 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $114.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,343,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,026,122. The business's 50 day moving average is $117.08 and its 200-day moving average is $120.47. The company has a market cap of $32.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.22. 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.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.63 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The business's revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Evercore ISI boosted 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 report on Tuesday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report 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, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 owned 37,448 shares in the company, valued at $4,397,893.12. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.