Nuance Investments LLC Purchases New Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• Nuance Investments LLC has acquired 71,070 shares of Agilent Technologies, valued at approximately $8.3 million, indicating strong interest from institutional investors in the company's stock.
• Analysts' ratings have varied, with Wells Fargo lowering their price target to $135, while TD Cowen raised it to $150, reflecting a mixed sentiment but generally a hopeful outlook for Agilent Technologies.
• Agilent Technologies recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.248 per share, with a current yield of 0.9%, showcasing the company's commitment to returning value to shareholders despite fluctuating stock prices.

Nuance Investments LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 71,070 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $8,314,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 7.6% in the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 39,032 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,566,000 after buying an additional 2,747 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Corp increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.0% during the first quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 1,322 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth $33,588,000. Aigen Investment Management LP increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 483.5% during the first quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 13,112 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 10,865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth $893,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price target 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. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.77.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:A traded up $2.96 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $120.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 983,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,532,513. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $96.43 and a 1 year high of $153.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market cap of $34.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.70, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.22. The business's fifty day moving average is $117.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.94.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were paid a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.44%.

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.