Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp lessened its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,119 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 2,402 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $2,704,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in A. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 286.2% in the first 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. boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 640.0% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.42% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,397,893.12. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE A traded down $0.82 on Friday, reaching $123.35. 1,382,971 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,847,337. The business's fifty day moving average price is $115.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 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 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 data on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.92% and a net margin of 17.59%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on A shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.77.

Agilent Technologies 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.