Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 18,893 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group reduced its Agilent Technologies stake by 5.4%, selling 18,893 shares and retaining 332,822 shares valued at approximately $44.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.41% of the company.
• Agilent reported quarterly earnings of $1.49 per share on $1.83 billion in revenue, beating estimates and marking 10% year-over-year revenue growth. The company guided for fiscal 2026 earnings of $6.00–$6.10 per share.
• The stock recently traded at $148.55, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $160.24. Agilent also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.255, implying a 0.7% annual yield.

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 332,822 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 18,893 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Agilent Technologies worth $44,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in A. Journey Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 88.6% in the 2nd quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 1,629 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 14.2% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 9,423 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,252,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171 shares in the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $834,000. Everett Harris & Co. CA bought a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $202,000. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 75.9% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 96,824 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $12,861,000 after purchasing an additional 41,794 shares during the last quarter. 87.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:A opened at $148.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $41.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.25. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.35 and a 12 month high of $160.27. The company's 50-day moving average price is $135.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.56.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. The company's revenue 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A has been the topic of several research analyst reports. HSBC decreased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 2nd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $160.24.

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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