KBC Group NV Decreases Stock Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 15.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,164 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 12,892 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $7,883,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $549,158,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,147,601 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,925,064,000 after buying an additional 1,713,216 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 424.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,041,826 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $240,956,000 after buying an additional 1,652,244 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 132.2% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,354,111 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $277,807,000 after acquiring an additional 1,340,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 192.0% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,412,535 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $192,204,000 after acquiring an additional 928,821 shares during the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $133.49 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.45. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.35 and a 1-year high of $160.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.62. The stock has a market cap of $37.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.08. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.480-1.500 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.01 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 20.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on A. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $153.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised Agilent Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $159.35.

Agilent Technologies Profile

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company's product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding A? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.