Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE:KEYS)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE:KEYS - Free Report) by 8.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,153 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,459 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Keysight Technologies were worth $4,516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in Keysight Technologies by 97.8% in the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 182 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in Keysight Technologies by 241.8% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 270 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in Keysight Technologies by 188.1% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 435 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Keysight Technologies in the 1st quarter worth about $73,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in Keysight Technologies by 1,355.8% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 626 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 583 shares in the last quarter. 84.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on KEYS. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Keysight Technologies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Keysight Technologies from $156.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $172.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Keysight Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $183.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Keysight Technologies news, SVP Ingrid A. Estrada sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.97, for a total value of $1,589,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 108,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,262,552.30. This trade represents a 8.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Satish Dhanasekaran sold 658 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.78, for a total transaction of $103,819.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 115,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,235,581.28. This represents a 0.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,615 shares of company stock valued at $3,113,460. Insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Keysight Technologies Stock Down 0.4%

KEYS traded down $0.68 during trading on Friday, hitting $164.26. The stock had a trading volume of 1,119,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,103,263. The company has a market capitalization of $28.27 billion, a PE ratio of 38.56, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.09. Keysight Technologies Inc. has a twelve month low of $119.72 and a twelve month high of $186.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 2.75 and a current ratio of 3.39. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.94.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. Keysight Technologies had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 19.65%. Keysight Technologies's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Keysight Technologies Inc. will post 6.32 earnings per share for the current year.

About Keysight Technologies

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.