Royal Bank of Canada Sells 68,318 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada reduced its Agilent Technologies stake by 7.6%, selling 68,318 shares and ending the quarter with 828,773 shares valued at approximately $94.5 million.
• Institutional sentiment was mixed, with several funds increasing their holdings. Analysts maintained a broadly positive outlook, giving Agilent a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $159.35.
• Agilent reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.49 and revenue of $1.83 billion, representing 10% year-over-year growth. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.255, or $1.02 annually, for a 0.7% yield.

Royal Bank of Canada trimmed its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 7.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 828,773 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 68,318 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.29% of Agilent Technologies worth $94,464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in A. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 599,581 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $82,712,000 after purchasing an additional 24,687 shares during the period. CCLA Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. CCLA Investment Management now owns 1,047,488 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $142,542,000 after buying an additional 19,518 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,147,601 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,925,064,000 after buying an additional 1,713,216 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 53,422 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $7,269,000 after buying an additional 9,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,457,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on A. HSBC lowered their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Bank of America raised Agilent Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $159.35.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

NYSE:A opened at $138.32 on Friday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.35 and a 52 week high of $160.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 2.10. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $132.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.30. The firm has a market cap of $39.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.25.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is presently 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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