Modera Wealth Management LLC Acquires 2,218 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 8.2%, acquiring 2,218 additional shares for a total holding of 29,159 shares worth approximately $3.41 million.
• Agilent Technologies' CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares at $117.44, representing a 3.87% decrease in his position, bringing his total shares owned to 37,448.
• Equity analysts have varying ratings for Agilent Technologies, with an average price target of $139.77 and a mix of "hold" and "buy" ratings reflecting expectations for future growth.

Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 8.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,159 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,218 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $3,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of A. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 286.2% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 640.0% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares in the company, valued at $4,397,893.12. The trade was a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

A traded down $1.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $113.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,888,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,780,879. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $96.43 and a twelve month high of $153.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $117.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.22.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.92% and a net margin of 17.59%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies's revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st were given a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on A. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of 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, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 28th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.