27,205 Shares in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Purchased by Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS

Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 27,205 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $3,182,000. Agilent Technologies accounts for approximately 1.0% of Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $456,963,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $94,051,000. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in 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 worth $103,428,000 after buying an additional 597,249 shares in the last quarter. Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $80,110,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 280.3% in the fourth 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.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:A traded down $1.05 on Monday, hitting $110.87. 730,646 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,087,937. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 1.23. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.43 and a 1-year high of $153.84. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $108.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $126.39.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. Sell-side 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 will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total transaction of $232,737.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,657,456.28. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $211,840.74. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. The trade was a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird reduced 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. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.15.

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.