Norges Bank Invests $549.16 Million in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Norges Bank opened a new position in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter, buying 4,035,849 shares valued at about $549.16 million. The stake represented roughly 1.42% of the company.
• Agilent reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $1.49 and revenue of $1.84 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations. Management also raised fiscal 2026 guidance, signaling confidence in continued momentum.
• Analyst sentiment has improved, with Bank of America upgrading Agilent to Buy and several firms lifting price targets. The stock now carries a Buy consensus with an average target price of $162.79.

Norges Bank acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,035,849 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $549,158,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.42% of Agilent Technologies as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in A. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 3.2% during the third quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 2,257 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.1% in the third quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 6,620 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 4,931 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $633,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Capital Holdings LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 4,218 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period.

Key Stories Impacting Agilent Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting Agilent Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Agilent beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $1.49 and revenue of $1.84 billion, both ahead of expectations. Agilent Technologies (A) Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised fiscal 2026 guidance after the strong quarter, signaling management expects momentum to continue. Agilent Lifts Outlook After 2Q Profit, Rev Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded Agilent to Buy, while TD Cowen and Barclays also lifted price targets, reinforcing the improving analyst view on the stock. Agilent Technologies shares jump on earnings beat, Bank of America upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted Agilent’s strong execution, market share gains, and broader demand improvement across key instrument categories. Agilent Technologies Stock Soars On Broad Q2 Beat, Company Stands Out In Tools Sector
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles compared Agilent with peers or discussed broader market themes, which are less likely to directly affect the stock near term. Agilent Technologies NYSE: A vs. Lonza Group OTCMKTS: LZAGY Head-To-Head Comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Agilent was also mentioned in “stocks to watch” and momentum-focused coverage, reflecting continued investor attention rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Agilent Technologies, Snowflake And 3 Stocks To Watch Heading Into Friday

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on A shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Bank of America raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research note on Thursday. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $162.79.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $135.38 on Monday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.35 and a 12-month high of $160.27. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $115.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.63. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $38.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.26.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.33% and a net margin of 19.55%.The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.480-1.500 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 20.48%.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company's product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.

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