Liberty Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE:KEYS)

Key Points

• Liberty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Keysight Technologies, purchasing 12,866 shares valued at approximately $1.9 million during the first quarter.
• Equities analysts have upgraded Keysight Technologies with target prices raised to between $175 and $200, indicating a shift towards a more positive outlook on the stock.
• Insider trading activity includes sales by SVP Ingrid A. Estrada and CEO Satish Dhanasekaran, with a total of 31,830 shares sold in the past 90 days, reflecting changing positions within the company.

Liberty Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE:KEYS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 12,866 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,927,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in KEYS. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in shares of Keysight Technologies by 97.8% during the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 182 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 39.9% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Keysight Technologies by 241.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 270 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Keysight Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 188.1% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 435 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. 84.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KEYS shares. Bank of America upgraded shares of Keysight Technologies from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Keysight Technologies from $177.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Keysight Technologies from $156.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Keysight Technologies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $187.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Keysight Technologies

In related news, SVP Ingrid A. Estrada sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.97, for a total value of $1,589,700.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 108,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,262,552.30. This trade represents a 8.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Satish Dhanasekaran sold 658 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.78, for a total value of $103,819.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 115,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,235,581.28. The trade was a 0.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,830 shares of company stock worth $5,124,049 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Keysight Technologies Stock Performance

KEYS stock opened at $158.63 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $162.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $158.89. Keysight Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.72 and a 12 month high of $186.20. The company has a market capitalization of $27.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 3.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.28 billion. Keysight Technologies had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 19.65%. Keysight Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Keysight Technologies Inc. will post 6.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Keysight Technologies Profile

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.

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