Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Reduces Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund decreased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 28.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,351 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,363 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $70,000. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 42.9% during the 1st quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $5,849,000 after purchasing an additional 15,000 shares during the period. Praxis Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,305 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the 1st quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 4,112 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 1,669 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,763 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Agilent Technologies stock traded up $1.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $118.80. 1,689,971 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,884,551. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $96.43 and a twelve month high of $153.84. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $111.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.24. 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 $33.75 billion, a PE ratio of 29.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.23.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is 24.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on A. Barclays upped their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $211,840.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,161,931.02. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

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.