Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $60.25 Million Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Agilent Technologies by 11.6%, owning approximately 515,035 shares valued at $60.25 million following the purchase of 53,550 additional shares.
• Agilent Technologies reported a net margin of 17.59% for the last quarter, with earnings per share of $1.31, exceeding analysts' estimates of $1.26.
• The company declared a $0.248 quarterly dividend, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.9%, with a payout ratio of 24.44%.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 11.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 515,035 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 53,550 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.18% of Agilent Technologies worth $60,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in A. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $73,375,000 after purchasing an additional 623,264 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 345.9% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 769,897 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $103,428,000 after acquiring an additional 597,249 shares during the period. Iron Triangle Partners LP acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $80,110,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 280.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 806,895 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $108,398,000 after acquiring an additional 594,744 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 141.5% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 935,893 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $109,481,000 after purchasing an additional 548,344 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock traded down $0.40 on Monday, reaching $114.22. The stock had a trading volume of 1,082,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,731,506. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $117.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.20. The stock has a market cap of $32.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.22. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $153.84.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 prior year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were paid a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.44%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total transaction of $177,099.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Barclays upped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.77.

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.