Saudi Central Bank Increases Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Saudi Central Bank increased its Agilent Technologies stake by 89% in the second quarter, acquiring 9,318 additional shares for a total holding of 19,782 shares valued at approximately $2.63 million.
• Agilent reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $1.62 per share and revenue of $1.88 billion, up 8.1% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $6.18–$6.21.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $170.33; several firms recently raised their targets, including Citigroup to $190 and Bernstein to $180.

Saudi Central Bank boosted its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 89.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,782 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,318 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $2,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Greenleaf Trust grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.8% during the second quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 8,117 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 2,105 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 2,959 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $403,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 7,145 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $949,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of A opened at $150.60 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a fifty day moving average of $142.62 and a 200 day moving average of $128.08. The company has a market cap of $42.46 billion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.24. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.35 and a 52-week high of $163.75.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.13. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.53% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.37 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.33.

Agilent Technologies 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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