Louisbourg Investments Inc. Increases Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Louisbourg Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 28.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,740 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,120 shares during the quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc.'s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $4,766,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 458 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 491 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

NYSE:A opened at $119.07 on Tuesday. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $33.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's fifty day moving average is $109.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $125.15.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on A shares. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Barclays lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Agilent Technologies

In related news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. The trade was a 4.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.